What if the drive that made you successful is the same thing holding you back? What if the ten-year-old version of you is still running the show in the boardroom?

In this episode of Highest You, Kate King speaks with Ruban Shanmugarajah, CEO of Baby Shop, the iconic Landmark Group omnichannel retailer with over 53 years of heritage across the Middle East and beyond. With 18 years in executive leadership at Landmark Group, Ruben has built a people-first culture rooted in trust, humanity, and sustainable performance.

From surviving a South London playground as a child who could not speak English, to leading one of the region's most recognised retail brands, Ruben shares how the survival patterns forged in childhood drove his success but eventually became its ceiling.

🧠 Key Themes: ● Why calm is not the same as slow, and how stillness actually accelerates leadership ● How a childhood survival pattern was quietly running his boardroom decisions ● Why people-first culture is the true competitive advantage in retail ● The difference between compliance and commitment in teams ● Intentional vulnerability vs dumping on your team ● Why the shift from having answers to asking questions changed everything ● Leading with humanity: behind every KPI is a human story

This is an honest, reflective conversation about what sits beneath leadership performance, not corporate theory. It is for leaders ready to look at the patterns driving their success and ask whether those patterns are still serving them.

If you are navigating growth, imposter syndrome, or the pressure of leading at scale, this episode is a reminder that awareness and acceptance are where everything starts.

🔔 Listen now and subscribe for more real, soul-led leadership conversations.

What if the stress you have been trying to eliminate is actually the most important signal your body is sending you?

In this episode of Highest You, Kate King speaks with Alice Law, stress mastery and resilience expert, Sunday Times Bestselling Author, and Co-Founder of Unstressable alongside Mo Gawdat. After nearly a decade of lived experience overcoming chronic stress and loss, Alice now empowers leaders and organisations to not just manage stress, but to use it as a signal for peak performance and regulated resilience.

🧠 Key Themes:

● Why the old version of resilience is quietly breaking people
● How stress spreads biologically through entire organisations
● Why chronic stress takes your brain offline and what to do about it
● What a regulated leader actually looks like in practice
● Human skills as the ultimate competitive advantage in the age of AI
● Practical tools for releasing stress held in the body

This is a real, practical conversation full of lived insight, not corporate jargon. It is for leaders who want to honour their people, build meaningful work cultures and lead with genuine presence under pressure.

If you are navigating burnout, loss, or the pressure of leading in uncertain times, this episode is a reminder that regulation is not weakness. It is your greatest strength.

🔔 Listen now and subscribe for more real, soul-led leadership conversations.

What if the most powerful thing you could bring to a boardroom wasn't your expertise but your presence?

In this Season 2 premiere of Highest You, Kate King sits down with Sheila Chaiban, award-winning Global Chief Marketing Officer, to explore what leadership looks like in the shift from the knowledge era to the human era.

With over 20 years of global leadership across FMCG, retail, and beauty, Sheila shares why hierarchy can block contribution, why certainty is often a performance, and why humanity is now a strategic advantage.

🧠 Key Themes:

● Why Sheila is "allergic to status" and how hierarchy can kill genuine connection
● Crying in front of 40 team members and why it built trust instead of weakening authority
● The high cost of ignoring your gut in business
● Moving from performance to presence in leadership
● Why humanity, not technical skill, is your true edge in the age of AI

This is a grounded, honest conversation about emotional courage, coherence, and leading from who you truly are, not who you think you should be.

If you are navigating growth, pressure, or reinvention as a leader, this episode is a reminder that your inner state shapes your outer impact.

🔔 Listen now and subscribe for more real, soul-led leadership conversations.