In this episode of The Reins of Leadership, I sit down with the remarkable Nancy Griffin — Legacy Advisor to Accomplished Women and founder of Women, Worth & Wellness™. What begins as a conversation about financial wealth soon expands into something much deeper — exploring self-worth, wellness, purpose, and the profound legacy women can create through generosity.

Nancy’s story is deeply inspiring and this is an episode reminds us that true wealth lives in how we give, how we live, and the legacy we leave behind.

💬 Favourite Quote

Connect with Merinda:


Instagram: @IamMerindaSmith

Website: www.merindasmith.com.au

Drawing inspiration from the natural world and Tomas our gorgeous donkey, we delve into:

• The Illusion of Control & The Grip of Monofocus. We'll explore the dangers of "monofocus" and how it limits our leadership potential.
• Breaking the Cycle: Relaxation as Receptivity. Opening you up to intuition, insights, and creativity that are inaccessible when you're braced and rigid.
• Leading from Trust: The Power of Broad Awareness. We'll discuss how softening your grip actually strengthens your impact.

Take a moment today to consciously relax your shoulders and unclench your jaw. Notice how this small shift changes your energy.

Share your experience with us on social media using #ReinsOfLeadership.

Connect with Merinda:


Instagram: @IamMerindaSmith

Website: www.merindasmith.com.au

In this episode I sit down with Heather McDaniel — leadership coach, founder of the Life Love Leadership Project, and creator of the REBEL Method. Heather brings a fresh perspective on what it means to lead in today’s world of rapid change, especially in the high-stakes environment of B2B SaaS.

We dive into the heart of leadership — trust. Trust in ourselves, trust within teams, and the kind of trust that builds psychological safety and resilience in organisations. Heather shares her belief that leadership is no longer about hustling harder or pushing strategy for strategy’s sake — it’s about presence, grounded clarity, and leading without abandoning ourselves or those we serve.

Find Heather on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathermcdanielcreative/

Connect with Merinda:


Instagram: @IamMerindaSmith

Website: www.merindasmith.com.au

Have you ever found yourself in a frustrating situation, blaming circumstances or other people for a lack of progress? It’s a natural human reaction, but for a leader, it’s a trap that drains power and erodes trust. In this episode, we explore a simple but transformative leadership model called "Above and Below the Line."

Through personal stories, I'll show you how this model plays out in real-time. We'll break down the difference between the land of powerlessness and the land of empowerment and give you the tools to steer any situation. You'll learn why your team, just like a horse, is an instant mirror for your own accountability and how a simple shift in your mindset can turn resistance into a willing partnership.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• The difference between living 'Above the Line' and 'Below the Line'.
• What the acronyms BED (Blame, Excuses, Denial) and OAR (Ownership, Accountability, Responsibility) mean for your daily leadership.
• How to spot the subtle language of excuses and blame in yourself and your team.
• The one powerful question you can ask yourself to immediately pull yourself Above the Line.

A Challenge For You This Week

Your challenge is not to be perfect - we all slip Below the Line. The challenge is simply to notice. Listen for the language of Blame, Excuses, and Denial in your own thoughts and conversations. When you catch it, don't judge. Just pause, take a breath, and ask yourself the one question that changes everything: "What's my part in this?"

Key Insight from the Episode

Your team, just like a horse, doesn't respond to your excuses or your blame. They respond to your energy and your ownership. When you live Below the Line, you create resistance; when you lead from Above the Line, you invite trust and partnership.

Connect with Merinda:


Instagram: @IamMerindaSmith

Website: www.merindasmith.com.au

In this episode, I’m joined by Bryan White – author of Get Selfish: Filling Your Bucket First, keynote speaker, and host of The RETURN Project. Bryan’s work is devoted to helping people reclaim their lives, rediscover their worth, and thrive beyond adversity.

We dive into Bryan’s transformative framework that encourages us to prioritise self-care, establish healthier boundaries, and embrace personal growth as the bedrock of lasting change. Bryan shares his own lived experiences that make his message not only powerful, but deeply relatable to anyone navigating recovery, transition, or self-discovery.

You’ll hear us explore:

• Why “getting selfish” is actually the most generous thing you can do.
• The role of boundaries in protecting your energy and your future.
• How adversity can become the gateway to rediscovering purpose.
• Practical ways to start filling your own bucket first.

Bryan’s honesty, warmth, and wisdom offer a refreshing perspective on leadership, resilience, and living in alignment. Whether you’re at a crossroads, feeling burnt out, or simply ready to grow, this conversation will inspire you to step back into your power.

Direct https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0FMMGZQYX Link - Get Selfish: Filling Your Bucket First Book
YouTube: youtube.com/@ReturnProjectPodcast

Connect with Merinda:


Instagram: @IamMerindaSmith

Website: www.merindasmith.com.au

Do you ever feel like you're wasting energy worrying about things you can't change? As a leader, it’s easy to get fixated on the "spooky corners"—the difficult market, a colleague's bad mood, or a project that feels doomed. But what if your focus on the problem is the one thing preventing you from finding the solution?

In this solo episode, I share a personal story from my return to riding that revealed a powerful truth about where we place our energy. We dive into a classic leadership model—The Circles of Concern, Influence, and Control—and translate it through the honest mirror of the horse. You'll learn how to shift from a reactive state of worry to a proactive state of influence by focusing on the one thing you have absolute control over: yourself.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

🌷 The difference between your Circle of Concern and your Circle of Influence.

🌷 How to identify where you are focusing your energy and if it’s serving you as a leader.

🌷 The third, most powerful circle that is the true source of all your leadership ability.

🌷 How your horse (and your team) instantly feels the shift when you move from worry to intentional action.

🌷 Practical steps to stop blaming circumstances and start leading your response.

PS: Your horse doesn't care about the spooky corner; he cares about the tense, unpredictable leader on his back. To get past the problem, you must bring your focus away from the thing you can't control and back to the one thing you can: yourself.

Connect with Merinda:


Instagram: @IamMerindaSmith

Website: www.merindasmith.com.au

Ever feel like you're spinning a million plates, trying to grow your business while also keeping your own sanity in check? You're not alone. Our next guest, Angela Hodgson, has been there, done that, and has the insights to help us all find a better way.

After five years of running her own successful business, Angela is on a mission to help leaders build brilliant businesses without the burnout that so often comes with it.

But her journey wasn't a straight line. Angela shares her incredible story of life in the fast lane at the iconic Bentley Motors. She was responsible for steering a 100-year-old British luxury brand into the future—talk about pressure! That experience led to a major burnout, a moment that completely changed her perspective on work and life. She gets real about the highs and the lows of her leadership journey and what it truly means to redefine success in today's world.

On top of her impressive career, Angela is also a mum to two amazing neurodiverse boys. So, when it comes to juggling priorities and understanding the importance of personal growth for finding balance, she truly lives it every day.

Get ready for an honest, inspiring chat with Angela. She's here to share her story, offering up practical tips, heartfelt reflections, and a much-needed dose of encouragement for anyone out there trying to lead, grow, and not lose themselves in the process. We'll be diving into everything from spotting the early signs of burnout to leading with energy and purpose.

Connect with Angela:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelahodgson/

QUIZ: https://igniteimprovement.co.uk/quiz

Connect with Merinda:


Instagram: @IamMerindaSmith

Website: www.merindasmith.com.au

In this rich and heart-opening conversation, Merinda is joined by Jackie Cope of Raven Rabbit, a soulful educator and consultant whose journey weaves together animal communication, spiritual practice, and indigenous wisdom.

Together, they explore how working with animals, using intuition, body awareness, and deep listening, can offer insights into how we show up in our own workspaces and leadership.

From her early career in teaching to her current work in consulting and spiritual mentorship, Jackie’s story is deeply shaped by her Washoe heritage (California/Nevada). She offers a candid look at the legacy of cultural assimilation her family faced, and how reclaiming traditional practices - alongside studies in yoga, reiki, and metaphysics - has formed the backbone of her work today.

🌿 What We Cover:

• Animal communication
• The impact of colonisation on Washoe culture and the reclamation of indigenous practices
• Integrating spiritual tools like reiki, yoga, and metaphysics into modern leadership work
• How animals mirror and support our internal realignment

🔗 Connect with Jackie Cope:
Find Jackie at Raven Rabbit

Connect with Merinda:


Instagram: @IamMerindaSmith

Website: www.merindasmith.com.au