From Tech CEO to Stay-at-Home Dad: Powering Practical Allyship

Guest: Lee Chambers — award-winning business psychologist, author of Momentum, and founder of Male Allies UK. He’s worked with brands like UBS, IKEA and Oracle, and is recognised for making allyship practical, well-being strategic and inclusion something people feel, not just hear.

Episode Summary

Lee Chambers’ story bends every stereotype. He grew up in Bolton, the first in his extended family to attend university, dropped out during a mental health wobble, returned to graduate, and saw his graduate banking role collapse in the 2008 crisis — prompting him to build a fast-growing e-commerce company from a spare room. He later lost the ability to walk and learned to walk again, which reset his valuaes and ultimately led him to step away from the CEO seat to become a stay-at-home dad — a leadership masterclass in disguise. Listening to women at a local toddler group opened his eyes to everyday inequities at work and sparked his mission: help men build the skills of allyship and redesign systems so everyone belongs and performs. He now equips leaders and teams to move beyond slogans to evidence-based, everyday behaviours that compound into culture change.

What You’ll Learn

• What “allyship” really means: working effectively across difference, not grand gestures.
• Why inclusion fails without foundations — and how to build them.
• Tactics any leader can use to make meetings fairer (and more productive).
• How resilience, neurodiversity and identity can shape courageous leadership.
• The surprising leadership lessons of being a stay-at-home parent.
• Why men often hesitate to engage — and what helps them step in.
• How allyship improves retention, applications and survey scores.
• A first step any SME owner can take this week.

Practical Plays You Can Use Tomorrow

• Add a no-interruptions rule in meetings and nominate a rotating chair to enforce it.
• Ask three colleagues: “What’s it really like working here?” Listen, capture themes, act on one item.
• Audit one process (promotions, project allocation, networking invites) for hidden barriers; change one rule.
• Bring frontline voices (depots, logistics, ops) into inclusion design — not just head office.

Memorable Lines

• “Discomfort is where the growth is.”
• “Inclusion isn’t a plug-in; it’s foundations tied to real outcomes.”
• “Allyship isn’t a stunt; it’s micro-moments that add up.”
• “Your comfort zone is a padded jail cell.”

Guest Picks

• Book: Invisible Women — Caroline Criado Perez.
• Music: “Harvest for the World” — The Isley Brothers.
• Tool/Framework: The Boston Matrix (applied with modern nuance).

Connect with Lee Chambers

• LinkedIn: Lee Chambers
• Website: Lee Chambers
• Book: Momentum — leadership and change lessons for uncertain times....

In 2020, Audrey was falsely accused after a catastrophic motorway incident that led to her mother’s death. Eighteen months later, the case was dropped. She rebuilt—leaving a senior banking role, launching Smart Perspective, and shaping a practical, human approach to leading through crisis. This episode is about returning to work, redefining value, and starting again with intention.

Key Takeaways

• Returning after crisis: choose confidants intentionally; accept support without letting it define you.
• Redefine value: today’s recognition is about adaptability, communication and collaboration—not just deliverables.
• Lead in public: own mistakes, apologise if needed, don’t hide; save your energy for the people who matter.
• Boundaries: every “no” protects a better “yes”.
• Reinvention: it’s not all-or-nothing—blend what you keep with what you change.

Tool / Book / Music

• Framework (Tool): 3i Framework — Intention · Influence · Impact (clarify purpose, understand others’ context, land 1–3 key messages and one action).
• Book: The Answer Is a Question — on using inquiry to think and lead better.
• Music: “Panama” — The Avener (Audrey’s pre-session energy lift).

Memorable Quotes

• “Success is a team sport.”
• “People are immune to pain—be thoughtful about where you share yours.”
• “Every time you say no, you say yes to something else.”
• “Make values a destination, not a cage.”
• “You’re okay. Be you—for you.”

Connect with Audrey

LinkedIN

Website

Official Bio:

Audrey Daumain is an internationally recognised Executive Performance Coach and Corporate

Communication Strategist with over 20 years of leadership experience across finance, energy, and

luxury sectors. French-born and globally minded, she began her career in London’s financial district in

1998 before holding senior leadership roles at Barclays Private Bank, the National Bank of Abu Dhabi,

and Edmond de Rothschild.

In 2010, she founded Smart Perspective, a consultancy trusted by global leaders to navigate strategic

transformations with clarity, confidence, and candour. Audrey combines expertise in organisational

design, NLP, and Non-Violent Communication to create environments where leadership is human,

impactful, and sustainable.

Her personal journey—marked by resilience, trauma recovery, and thriving in male-dominated

industries—fuels her mission: to bring authenticity and humanity back to leadership

conversations. In April 2025, Audrey was recognised by Sarah, Duchess of York at the Women

Changing the World Awards for her work in transforming leadership cultures on a global scale.

Audrey is also a key contributor to the CLAFG Women Leadership Academy, a new program under

CLAFG (Centre de Liaison des Associations Féminines Genevoises)—Geneva’s umbrella network of

women’s associations. The Academy is piloting a leadership certification endorsed by FEDE (European

Federation of Schools), an international NGO with participatory status at the Council of Europe that

accredits educational programs...

In this episode of the Leading Boldly Podcast, Matt and Jenny sit down with Ryan Hudson — a true human (and humour) maverick. From being diagnosed with dyslexia at 16, to stumbling into sales and discovering it as his lifeline, Ryan went on to build and lead multiple multi-million-pound businesses. His story is one of resilience, bold decisions, and the power of enthusiasm.

Ryan shares openly about burnout, overcoming self-doubt, and how he learned to act boldly rather than overthink. He reveals the lessons from turning around teams, the importance of mentorship for young people, and his transformative experience at Warrior Camp.

Packed with energy, humour, and practical wisdom, this conversation will inspire anyone looking to lead with courage, connect authentically, and keep climbing — even with a “rucksack full of bricks.”

What you’ll learn in this episode:

· How Ryan went from dyslexia and broken football dreams to top sales success

· Why “sales is a transfer of enthusiasm” and how it shaped his leadership style

· Lessons from building teams in Cyprus and beyond

· Advice for young people on mentorship, mindset, and creativity

· Breakthrough moments from Warrior Camp: fear, vulnerability, and growth

· Why time and love are the most important currencies in leadership

· Ryan’s favourite books, music, and frameworks that shaped his journey

Song - James – Sit down. “If I hadn’t seen such riches I could live with being poor”

Book - Magic of thinking big - David Schwartz

Quote – “To conduct an orchestra you have to turn your back on the crowd”

Tool/Framework - Plan Do Check Review

Restaurant – Simon Rogan https://www.lenclume.co.uk/

Socials:

Ryan Hudson LI https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-hudson-4a328861/

RGH LI https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rgh-group/

RGH IG https://www.instagram.com/thergh_group/

RGH YT https://www.youtube.com/@TheRGHGroup

RGH FB https://www.facebook.com/TheRGHGroup

RGH X https://x.com/TheRGHGroup

Ryan RGH TT https://www.tiktok.com/@therghgroup

Rybeda LI https://www.linkedin.com/company/rybeda-group/

Rybeda IG https://www.instagram.com/rybedagroup/

Rybeda TT https://www.tiktok.com/@rybeda

Rybeda FB https://www.facebook.com/RYBEDAGroup/

Rybeda...