Host: Julie Williams MSc- Executive Coach & Founder of Lighting Fires
Guest: Alex Weller- Founder of Above Digital

In this episode of The Lighting Fires Podcast, supported by Henley Business School, Julie sits down with Alex Weller, founder of Above Digital, whose career spans more than 30 years of evolving brands and building digital experiences, from early work with Universal Music and PepsiCo to today's bespoke websites and branding projects.

Alex describes himself as someone who never liked planning, and for a long time avoided it. Yet through coaching, reflection, and a shift in mindset, he discovered how simple planning, can be transformative. Their conversation explores the tension between wanting freedom and needing structure, why business owners often resist planning, and how Alex found a way of doing it that finally worked for him.

Julie and Alex talk about:

• The pressure of running a business when you're the person responsible for everything

• How creating small pockets of time and space is essential for new ideas and long-term thinking

• Why planning doesn't have to be complicated, and can actually feel grounding

• The unexpected ways coaching continues to shape decisions years after the sessions finish

• How to identify the clients you're best placed to serve

• Why keeping simple notes about your business journey becomes a powerful tool for future planning

• The importance of understanding your own preferences when shaping how you lead

Alex reflects on the pivotal realisation that even when plans feel "pie in the sky," writing things down gives you something valuable to look back on, a narrative of your business that helps you make sense of where you've been and where you want to go next.

Julie also shares coaching insights on finding focus, noticing what's working, creating space to think, and building a plan that feels motivating rather than overwhelming.

Whether you love planning, avoid it, or feel stuck somewhere in between, this conversation offers fresh perspective on how to steer your business with more clarity, confidence, and ease.

Henley Business School

Interested in a career in coaching? Find out about the Professional
Certificate in Executive Coaching at Henley Business School here.

Be sure to mention the Lighting Fires Podcast if you do contact Henley Business School.

Connect with Julie

Website: lightingfires.co.uk
Email: julie@lightingfires.co.uk
LinkedIn: Julie Williams MSc

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a five star rating and review, it helps more listeners find these real-world leadership tools and stories.

Imposter Syndrome: Taking Your Seat at the Table

Episode Description

Host: Julie Williams MSc — Executive Coach & Founder of Lighting Fires
Mini-Series: Lighting Fires Toolbox — Conversations on Common Coaching Themes

Episode Overview

In this special Lighting Fires mini-episode, supported by Henley Business School, Julie explores one of the most common topics that comes up in coaching conversations: imposter syndrome, or more accurately, imposter phenomenon. Drawing on research from Clance and Imes in the 1970s, Julie unpacks why even the most capable, high-achieving people often struggle to internalise their success and feel they belong.

Featuring powerful reflections from previous guests Lorraine Briffitt and Mark Schmull, this episode explores what imposter syndrome feels like in real life, how it shows up in leadership, and the practical steps you can take to challenge the inner critic and step confidently into the rooms you deserve to be in.

This honest and encouraging episode is for anyone who has ever worried about not being "good enough," questioned whether they deserve an opportunity, or wondered when they're going to be "found out."

What You'll Learn in This Episode

• Why imposter syndrome happens, and why it's not a personal flaw
• How sharing these thoughts out loud can dissolve their power
• The importance of trusted spaces and supportive networks
• Techniques to examine and challenge unhelpful thinking patterns
• Why belonging is not about being liked, but about owning your place
• Practical tools to build confidence through action and reflection

Julie's Top Coaching Takeaways

Say it out loud
Speaking your fears in a safe space helps you see them more clearly, and often reveals how irrational they really are.

Look for evidence
Notice where you may be deleting information or generalising unfairly. What facts prove you do deserve to be here?

Use NLP tools
Explore deletions, distortions and generalisations to examine how your internal story may differ from objective reality.

Write down your achievements
Small wins and large milestones build confidence — but only if you acknowledge them.

Confidence comes from doing
You don't wait until you feel ready. You take action, even with discomfort, and confidence grows afterwards.

You belong if you're in the room
As Shonda Rhimes says: If you're there, you've earned it. Accept it and get on with it.

Resources Mentioned

• Research by Clance & Imes (1978) on Imposter Phenomenon
• Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP): Deletions, Distortions & Generisations Framework

Henley Business School

Interested in a career in coaching? Find out about the Professional
Certificate in Executive Coaching at Henley Business School here.

Be sure to mention the Lighting Fires Podcast if you do contact Henley Business School.

Connect with Julie

Website: lightingfires.co.uk
Email: julie@lightingfires.co.uk
LinkedIn: Julie Williams MSc

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a five star rating and review, it helps more listeners find these real-world leadership tools and stories.

Host: Julie Williams, MSc - Executive Coach & Founder of Lighting Fires

Guest: Lucy Guest- Social Media Strategist and Brand Communication Specialist.

Episode Overview

In this episode of The Lighting Fires Podcast, supported by Henley Business School, Julie sits down with Social Media Strategist and Brand Communication Specialist, Lucy Guest to explore the transformational coaching journey they experienced together. Their conversation dives into what it really means to lead with confidence and authenticity, make brave decisions even when they may be unpopular, and navigate complex power dynamics within organisations.

Along the way, they take some wonderfully unexpected detours, from sharks and caterpillars to medieval languages, Shakespeare, and Dungeons & Dragons, using metaphor and creativity to illuminate the realities of modern leadership. Lucy shares the practical exercises and coaching techniques that helped her shift perspective, build self-belief, and step into an authentic leadership style that aligns with her values.

This is a colourful, honest, and insightful conversation about growth, identity, and becoming the leader you were meant to be.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

• How to build confidence as a leader when stepping into your first significant management role

• Why striving to be liked can limit your leadership potential

• Tools for navigating power dynamics and organisational politics without losing your values

• How creative coaching techniques can unlock new perspectives and clarity

• Ways to balance supporting your team while allowing them the space to learn through mistakes

• Why understanding individual communication styles helps create healthier team dynamics

• The value of reframing failure as part of leadership growth

Julie's Top Coaching Takeaways

Respond, don't react
Creating space to pause helps you choose a considered response instead of an emotional reaction.

Detach from the need to be liked
Leadership isn't a popularity contest. Stay connected to your purpose and the outcome you want to create, even if not everyone approves.

Zoom out to gain perspective
Techniques such as constellations help you step outside your own viewpoint and understand what different stakeholders need.

Celebrate authenticity
Confidence grows when you stop shrinking yourself to fit expectations and instead lead in a way that feels genuinely true to you.

Learn from mistakes- they're essential
Leaders aren't defined by avoiding mistakes, but by how they reflect, learn and adapt because of them.

Resources Mentioned

• Swimming with Sharks allegory / essay - a metaphor for navigating organisational politics and power dynamics

• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) - understanding personality and communication preferences

• Constellations coaching method - perspective-shifting systemic mapping technique (inspired by the work of John Whittington)

• Henley Business School - Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching

Henley Business School

Interested in a career in coaching? Find out about the Professional
Certificate in Executive Coaching at Henley Business School here.

Be sure to mention the Lighting Fires Podcast if you do contact Henley Business School.

Connect with Julie

Website: www.lightingfires.co.uk
Email: julie@lightingfires.co.uk
LinkedIn: Julie Williams MSc

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave a 5 star rating and review- it helps more people find these real-world leadership stories and coaching insights.