Emily first discovered rowing through the British Indoor Rowing Championships at the age of 12. After winning a silver medal she decided to go to her local rowing club, Bewl Bridge Rowing Club, and almost immediately set her sights on competing at the Olympics one day. Emily first represented GB at the U23 World Championships in 2013 whilst studying History of Art, winning bronze in the lightweight quadruple sculls. After completing a Masters in East Asian Art in 2015, Emily joined the senior GB Rowing Team full time. She made her Olympic debut at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games in the lightweight women’s double sculls, setting a World Best Time in the heats but missing the podium in an agonising 0.01 second photo finish, the picture of which has been on her wall as a driving force ever since. Already a three times World Champion and two times European Champion, Emily became Olympic Champion at Paris 2024, in the Lightweight Women’s double sculls with Imogen Grant. I am extremely excited to share this conversation with the world and so grateful to Emily for giving me her time to share these phenomenal insights into her Olympic amd every day mindset. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-craig-oly-mbe-890421223?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Phil Wilkinson and I only met for the first time two months ago. Phil is a highly talented and dedicated global PR and communications professional and mental fitness coach. As Head of PR and Communications at World Rugby for the past seven years, Phil was responsible for implementing and driving World Rugby’s communications strategy, as the sport seeks to continue its successful growth and inspire a new generation of fans.  He has worked across external and internal communications, events and fan-engagement in a leading Olympic sport with a global fanbase of over 800 million. Wilkinson was previously employed by the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee, where, as International Media Manager, he led the development and execution of an international communications strategy to engage a global audience of over four billion.
Previous to these roles, he's had highly influential and senior roles within the world of international sport. Our conversation just fizzed along!! 

I loved hearing Phil's perspective on beautiful mess his own experience with mental health and his passion about empowering others with this same deeper level of awareness around mental fitness. Enjoy, share and tell us what you loved!

Aiofe O'Brien is the founder and host of the award winning "Happier at Work" podcast.  I have so much to learn from Aiofe and tuning into her podcast is one of my treats when travelling or needing to plug into something that   This conversation offers so much about what inspired her to do the work she's continuing to create.This story is an amazing example of a "beautiful mess" and Aiofe loves the analogy!I loved our conversation and cannot wait for you to hear it too!! Linkedin

This conversation was such an inspiration and so joyful in so many ways!!! Bill Carmody is the founder of www.askbill.us  Bill has had and is having the most incredible career.He is also the most amazing human being and father. I met him through the pheneomal work and community that is Shirzad Chamine's Posititive Intelligence  Bill was Chief Coaching Officer at Positive Intelligence for six years. He is also currently doing the most INCREDIBLE one-year world tour!!!I cannot wait for you to tune in!! Linkedin Bill Carmody.com

Natasha Miller is the award winning founder and host of the podcast "Bitter/Sweet". Natasha is also the founder of Miller Libertine. Miller Libertine design sensory food experiences that create deep connections between people, brands and communities. When food tells a story it stirs emotions, starts conversations, creates memories. Using the power of these connections as a force for change. Natasha's incredible insights and incredibly integral and intentional work makes this conversation the perfect match for our Beautiful Mess community. Linkedin  Instagram      

When could there possibly be a more real and urgent need for a money and  wellbeing coach than now?? Fleur Iannazzo  is not only an amazing friend whom I've known for almost 7 years...she is also an exceptionally talented Money Wellbeing Expert and Coach.AND!! an award winning author...having just been awarded the "Money Inclusion and Awareness Award 2025 for her book "The Money Pizza" . I will have Fleur back again...and it was so fun to record this just before the official launch of her book...now look!!! Fleur on LinkedinFleur's Website

In this conversation, the main theme is expiration and I had so much fun exploring Alison Sayers' beautiful mess. We cover a lot in a very short space of time, including how it is to be an older parent, what it means to guide others, emotional regulation, neurodiversity and so many other topics. I hope you find as much value in this conversation as I did. Website: https://sayersconsulting.ca/   Linkedin.    

Loren has such a wealth of experience, insights and gems in this conversation...As Loren says on Linkedin about her creation..."Portfolio Rocket" ... What Sets Us Apart?No cookie-cutter approachesStrategies tailored to your unique journeyA focus on what truly matters to you. I particularly loved the focus switching between all generations in this Beautiful Mess conversation...listneing back...there's nothing uncovered here!I'm so excited to share Loren and her incredible work and legacy with all of you!Linkedin:linkedin.com/in/lorengreiffPodcast: "Career Blast in a Half" 

Scott Macgregor is, amongst so many other extraordinary accolades, founder of the one and the only "The Outlier Project". I have met and continue to meet the most exceptional people through the TOP community...and my life has been fundamentally changed and enriched by being a part of it. Here is more information about Scott. LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/macgregorscott ...connect with this man...you will always be grateful!! Enjoy!!

Mark Holden is a certified financial planner ...and so much more!! I absolutely loved this conversation with Mark. It is fuelled with such energy, such generosity and such razor sharp insight. As Mark himself says on his LinkedIn profile: "Who are my clients? High performers...people who aren't sitting around...people who enjoy building relationships ..." Enjoy this brilliant conversation and come back form more as I'll unquestionably be having Mark back again. Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/markholdencfp

These two ladies were an absolute JOY!! to speak with...Abbie Carter and Clare Mroz from the incredible Patch...We covered...Canada.Community.Live recording!Dealing with uncertainty.Dealing with the unexpected.Inclusivity.The crucial importance of teamwork.The joy of the beautiful mess.And a lot of laughter!!Abbie Carter: linkedin.com/in/abbie-carter-35b486121          Clare Mroz:    https://www.linkedin.com/in/clare-mroz/PATCH: https://www.patch.work/I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did!!! 

This conversation with Amber Williams was a genuine light bulb learning process for me... Amber has an exceptional story related to her work as a nurse, arriving at oncology a little later in her nursing career...and then following where life unexpectedly took her next with such courage and commitment. Amber has also experienced grief in many different ways and the story we focus on here is the loss of her husband Carl in October 2021. Tune in for an incredible conversation about grief, loss, faith and so many other nuggets! Amber's work is now also focused on grief coaching... zeroing in on female healthcare professionals who, as Amber herself did, feel burnt out, stressed or who want to keep work from affecting the rest of their life. Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberwilliams09/ Website: https://www.thegoldengraph.com/

Introducing the iiiincredible Lyndsay!!Lyndsay Dowd is a Speaker, Founder, Author, Coach, Podcast Host, and Disruptor.  She is an accomplished leader, decorated seller and has successfully managed large, diverse, high-performing sales teams over the last 25 years. 23 of those years were spent climbing the ranks at IBM. Lyndsay was also a Featured Guest Lecturer at Harvard University.  In creating her company, Heartbeat for Hire, she has devoted her career to transforming leadership through building irresistible culture and modern leadership practices to get the best results from their teams.  She has been featured in Fortune Magazine, HR.Com, Authority Magazine, ABC, NBC, FOX and more than 90 podcasts. Lyndsay is a 2 time author  for both “Top Down Culture” and a contributing author to the anthology “Voices of Women.” She also hosts the top 5% globally ranked podcast, Heartbeat for Hire, and is a frequent guest speaker on live and recorded shows.  Today she is the Chief Revenue Officer for Intry where they are merging the best of technology with the best of humanity to help job seekers and those in transition land the jobs of their dreams.LinkedinInstaFacebookTikTokYouTube Channel

Introducing the amazing "Nadia Nagamootoo"... Nadia Nagamootoo (she/her) is a prolific diversity, equity & inclusion thought leader, a global keynote speaker, award-winning businesswoman, and best-selling author. Nadia’s work is driven by her purpose to create ripples of change in every organisation and person she touches; striving for a world where everyone feels like it was designed for them. She is boldly challenging our understanding of leadership, pushing for leaders to recognise the deep, inner work needed if they are to truly embody conscious inclusion. Nadia has shared her thought leadership in organisations such as PwC, Nestlé, Kingfisher, European Women in Boards, CBRE, Pure Data Centres Group, Henley Centre for Coaching and many more!  She has also moderated panel discussions at global conferences and events, and joined as a guest on a number of podcast shows, such as Confessions of a DEI Pro with Ashanti Bentil-Dhue, Seize the Day with Natalie Miller-Snell, and All Inclusive with Natasha Rainey.Avenir Website: https://www.avenirconsultingservices.com/ Nadia's Website: https://www.nadianagamootoo.com/ YouTube ChannelInstaLinkedinNadia's publisher is offering a 35% off my book until 31st March for IWD - available on their website: https://practicalinspiration.com/Finally, check out the early bird offer for Nadia's Beyond Discomfort Retreat in June: https://www.beyond-discomfort.com/retreat.

An incredible conversation with Olympian Joe Jacobi. Joe is an American former slalom canoeist who competed from the mid-1980s to the mid-2000s. Competing in two Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal in the C2 event at Barcelona in 1992. This episode is recorded from his home in La Seu d'Urgell, Catalonia, Spain.Joe shares fantastic life evolutions by virtue of being there.As well as sharing beautiful stories about his family, struggles and triumphs. Moving to Catalonia was not about reliving or associating really with the success of having won the Olympics many, many years ago.Joe shares why he loves being there for many reasons.We hear his life story from being born and raised in Washington DC, and how his love of love of nature began there, learning to paddle from a young age.Joe's insights are golden and his passion for his sport is very clear throughout our Beautiful Mess conversation. I loved every moment of this!!!   Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobijoe/ Learn more from Joe Jacobi here: http://joejacobi.com/ Book: Slalom Did you find value in this episode?  Kindly give the Beautiful Mess podcast a 5-star review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you may listen to podcasts.  Beautiful Mess Podcast. Thank you for listening!  https://beautifulmesspodcast.podbean.com/

Jen Laffin is a former teacher turned mindset coach. She joins Isabel to discuss overcoming self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and procrastination. Her teaching career, filled with the challenges of educating the whole child, has given her the tools to help individuals achieve their goals. From being a social worker and a psychologist for her students to now coaching adults to get past their self-doubt, Jen’s journey is a testament to perseverance and passion. Jen’s story explores navigating the messy middle of any journey, the importance of mindset, and how to transform limiting beliefs into catalysts for growth. Jen's beautiful narrative will leave you inspired and equipped with practical advice to tackle your own struggles. Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-laffin/ Learn more from Jen Laffin by listening to The Flight School Podcast. Did you find value in this episode?  Kindly give the Beautiful Mess podcast a 5-star review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you may listen to podcasts.  Beautiful Mess Podcast. Thank you for listening!  https://beautifulmesspodcast.podbean.com/  

How we frame things can change the outcomes.  Jiten didn't speak English when he first went to school in the UK.  None.   He felt isolated, confused, and alone. .  When new students, who also didn't speak much English, were assigned seats next to Jiten, offered a perspective to truly feel the stigma of exclusion.  Isabel, our host, dives a little deeper with Jiten to reflect on these childhood experiences and how that shaped Jiten's future.  Jiten utilized Project Management skills to create new paths in diversity and inclusion.  Has your childhood shaped your future in a meaningful way? Leave a comment to let us know your story!  Feel free to connect with Jiten Patel on LinkedIn or explore his resources about synchronized diversity available and diversync.co.uk.   

You are born to matter. This Facebook National Director, Tom Doherty, didn’t let childhood chaos get in the way of his dreams. Hear this incredible story of overcoming obstacles to find success in one of the most influential companies of our time.

Zora speaks with us about her ‘jump’ from working for a number of high end organisations…Including Apple, Deloitte, Ericsson, Ikea and Syngenta to name a few…as a psychologist, senior people partner numerous leadership teams…to becoming a ‘mumpreneur’ who works with mindset and behaviour disruption. Through this work Zora crafts really concrete and tangible journeys for leaders to evolve not only their career, but also the evolution of their overall wellbeing. We cover a lot  in this conversation and I cannot wait for you to tune in. Zora brings us so much wisdom from her insights in the arenas of neurodiversity, behaviour change, disruption, psychological unsafety, and our day to day choices.   Power Takeaways: 20 years in corporate human resources. Being a mumpreneur in ‘growth phase’. Exploring how Zora’s ADHD has played out in her life. Emotional regulation and impulse control.Thanking ADHD for giving Zora the courage to jump out of Apple. Relating impulsive decisions to buying dogs and houses (and whirlpools!)  When male executives are given the space and opportunity to take off the harness We often see the ‘A’ in the alpha male as one thing…very quickly it can turn to Anxiety or Apathy. To help ‘armour down’ and to offer powerful tools for these leaders so that they have choice over their behaviour again. What does it mean to have psychological unsafety? Exploring what “beautiful mess” means to Zora. Connecting this framework to parenting her two children. Planting the seeds of her business in the garden of growth…and we have to be ok with our garden looking like a beautiful mess of a garden.   Resources Mentioned: Zora’s website: https://www.zoralazarov.com/Zora’s linkedin: linkedin.com/in/zoralazarov YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@zoralazarovInsta: https://www.instagram.com/zoralazarov

Steve Arntz is the co-founder of ‘Campfire’...and a father and a husband. Steve speaks about realising what ‘family first’ really means to him…what it really feels like to commit to that statement.  We hear about Steve’s spouse and children.  We hear how Steve has managed to get back to his family being the centre of his world and how challenging that has been throughout his entrepreneurial journey. Steve speaks very openly about what Campfire means to him and all he is building with this work as a founder, parent and entrepreneur. His mission statement with this work is so powerful:‘Universal access to meaningfully connected experiences that inspire people to live better lives together’. We explore the seed of why Steve wanted to build this platform and all it provides to support his ‘augmented humanity’ mission with the work and technology he’s building with Campfire.  The three questions that started everything… What got you to this place right here?  Where do you want to go?  How are you planning to get there? People just loved these conversations…and still do! How creating a pack of cards based on thousands of hours of research began the process towards Campfire. A conversation filled with honesty, integrity and inspiration. Power Takeaways: We can trick ourselves into thinking that work first equals family first…especially if your mission driven then work becomes first and family comes second. It’s taken 15 years to know and feel that family first = family first.  The mission of Campfire is true and real. Mission Statement: ‘universal access to meaningfully connected experiences that inspire people to live better lives together’. How universal access to conversations and connection for people everywhere.  Technology built that supports facilitated guided spaces. Reference to Esther Perel’s alternative meaning when she speaks about “AI”...’Artificial Intelligence’. ‘Augmented humanity’ …how can we start to see technology as a way to bring out our humanity and accentuate our humanity we will ‘win’. The power of asking the question ‘why are you here?’ and ‘what do you want to have happen next?’. Asked the three questions and then mapped out the data that came back. How the physical sketches that inspired this work started. How building a deck of cards was the start of this. How Steve has moved from being (self confessed) self centric and moved across to ‘others centric’. It can take years!! How he is devoted to building conversations for people.  Find the most important relationship in your life and what is the one thing I can do to enhance, build or make that relationship better.  Resources Mentioned: https://www.getcampfire.com/ https://www.stevearntz.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevearntz/