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If you’ve ever felt you had to harden yourself to be credible as a leader, this first episode of Leading Well with Steph Edusei is for you.

In this opening episode, Steph reflects on how trying to be the kind of leader she thought she was supposed to be almost broke her.

Steph shares the honest story behind the podcast and invites you to follow or subscribe as we rethink what it means to lead well, live well and carry responsibility without losing ourselves.

Drawing on her experience as a leader in the NHS and then in the voluntary and community sector, she explores the culture of overwork, constant availability, pressure, performance and emotional suppression that so often gets mistaken for strong leadership.

Steph also talks about the role of imposter phenomenon and how self-doubt can make leaders overwork, over-prove and tolerate situations that work against their own values.

But this episode is not just about what leadership can cost us. It is also about what becomes possible when we stop trying to perform leadership and start practising it in ways that are more human, compassionate, sustainable and true to who we are.

In this episode, Steph explores:

• Why working hard can quietly become overworking
• The pressure to prove yourself as a leader
• Leadership cultures that reward toughness, certainty and constant availability
• How imposter phenomenon can shape the way leaders show up
• Why kindness, compassion and integrity are not alternatives to effective leadership
• The importance of boundaries, rest and sustainability
• What it means to lead well as a practice, not a performance

Reflection questions from this episode:

• Where have I been trying to lead like someone else?
• What part of myself have I been taught to work against so that I can seem more credible as a leader?
• What would change if I trusted that kindness, compassion and integrity were not alternatives to effective leadership, but core elements of it?

Leading Well is a podcast for people who want to lead with clarity, care and integrity.

Follow or subscribe to Leading Well with Steph Edusei to join the conversation and be notified when new episodes are released.

Leading Well - leadership support: https://www.stephedusei.co.uk/leading-well