Better Under Pressure

What a Purpose-led CEO Can Teach Us About Managing Pressure

This week’s Better Under Pressure conversation is with an inspirational leader who has been, at times, so immersed in her role that she felt she had merged with it. Does that sound familiar? That feeling when you become what you do… your identity slides into your role and before you know it, the boundary between you and the work has dissolved?

Clare Reddington, CEO of Watershed – the Bristol-based organisation focused on cultural cinema, talent development and creative technology – knows this feeling well.

In this episode we explore how purpose drives Clare’s leadership style and carries her through pressure, how she recognises her personal signs of overwhelm, and what she does about it (hint: nature plays a big role).

 

Outline 📍 
00:00 Intro
02:37 How do you experience pressure?
04:55 How do you tap into that sense of stewardship and purpose in your own leadership?
10:03 What’s the practice that helps you hold and lead all of this?
14:00 How do you meaningfully track balance and belonging in your organisation?
17:16 How do people respond to having unlimited time off and that level of flexibility?
22:59 Insight 1: Lessons learned
25:53 What are the first signs you notice that indicate you need to take a rest?
33:25 Insight 2: Lessons learned
36:07 What was the worst pressure you have ever felt?
40:00 How do you support a team member caught in extreme pressure in the moment?
42:18 What 2 pieces of advice would you pass forward to be better under pressure?
46:21 Outro

As regular listeners to Better Under Pressure know, I often draw connections between the principles found in sport and those that underpin leadership and performance coaching, identifying habits that are highly transferable to the business world and everyday life.

No surprise then that I loved this conversation with Dr. Ara Suppiah, Chief Medical Officer for LIV Golf (and keeping players like Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose and Anna Nordqvist on course) Known as “the elite athlete’s secret weapon”, this episode is packed with high-performance insights and tips that I hope you’ll find useful and can apply to your own life when pressure shows up!

 

Outline 📍 
00:00 Intro
02:36 When did you first experience pressure?
06:25 How did you learn to manage that feeling of pressure?
14:22 What is important around the relationship between your mind and your body in pressure?
24:17  Insight 1: Lessons learned
26:52 What does ‘slowing the ball down’ look like for leaders under pressure?
35:44 How do you now manage your temper?
39:12 How do you train top athletes to control their temper?
44:48 How do you turn pressure into an energy that allows you to be better?
52:59 Insight 2: Lessons learned
56:30 Do you think the male and female body handle pressure differently?
01:03:03 What 2 pieces of advice would you pass forward to be better under pressure?
01:04:53 Outro

I love this episode because, in addition to discussing pressure, difficult deals, and making no money for two years, we also explore what happens when you decide to trust the universe and how to navigate moments of uncertainty.

I'm talking to Joti Balani, a remarkable leader who walked away from corporate success to build something extraordinary in the world of AI.
 
She has over 25 years’ experience in technology & design, leading AI and Automation projects for Fortune 500 enterprises and government agencies. But she walked away from that predictable career with prestigious titles to start again from scratch, founding and building Freshriver.ai - what she now calls an organism rather than a company – that is attracting top talent who are seeking meaningful adventure in the AI world.

Alongside this, Joti speaks at global industry, academic, and social impact events, such as CES and Fintech Connect, and is a member of the Infrastructure Masons NYC Chapter, collaborating with Data Center Industry leaders to ensure AI is sustainable and carbon-neutral as it grows exponentially. 
 
This episode explores how she navigated the pressure of reinvention and how invisible forces can align when you truly commit to your purpose, as well as the role of what I call spirit and discipline in creating a meaningful future.
 
So, this episode is for you if you're wondering:
 
- Can I leave corporate life and create something transformative?
- How can I stay grounded if I’m pioneering an unknown path? Or
- What if my next chapter is about impact, not just income?

Outline 📍 
00:00 Intro
03:05 How would you describe Pressure?
04:18 When does pressure feel positive for you, and when does it become unhelpful?
10:08 How do you handle pressure when things aren’t going your way?
27:06 A practice to enable you to stay strong
42:46 What’s your personal relationship with pressure — and how has it shaped you?
47:38 Insight 1: Lessons learned
52:34 What 2 pieces of advice would you pass forward to be better under pressure?
57:44 Insight 2: Lessons learned
58:11 Outro

When I ask most guests on Better Under Pressure when they first experienced pressure, they normally say it was from either parents or school in exams or on sports day, but when you’re born into a notorious cult where you’re raised knowing the world is ending and you are one of god’s endtime soldiers, the pressure is on a whole other level. Petra Velzeboer managed to escape from the cult in her early twenties, and started a family and working, only to find the latter not too dissimilar to those original pressures of the cult - which is why - to use her phrase - she crashed. So it’s no wonder that, when she managed to very consciously extract herself from that second cycle, Petra became a psychotherapist and champion of mental health support with her organisation - PVL - combatting psychologically toxic cultures and promoting mentally healthy work environments.

Outline 📍
00:00 Intro
02:12 What is your relationship with Pressure?
03:23 How do you navigate increasing pressure in your life?
06:47 Can you remember a moment when you were deep in the darkness?
16:11 What would you say has been the most difficult pressure?
22:27 Insight 1: Lessons learned
26:39 What do you see as the biggest source of unhealthy pressure in your field?
28:59 How do you keep yourself steady?
32:44 How would you advise a leader supporting team members with less capacity for pressure?
38:22 Do you feel you have enough healthy, invigorating pressure in your life right now?
39:32 What 2 pieces of advice would you pass forward to people listening?
46:23 Insight 2: Lessons learned
46:54 Outro

Working out the things that don’t count so much in your day or your week can be tricky. It’s very easy to fall into the trap that everything is a priority. In Alice Dyson’s case – as CEO and founder of the dynamic entertainment and production company, Framewood Media, it’s particularly tough.

Welcome to The Better Under Pressure podcast, I’m Sara Milne Rowe and in this episode I’m talking with Alice Dyson.

A pioneering female leader in the music industry, Alice is a champion of innovation in media, storytelling, and entertainment. Previously the Director of the British Phone-agraphic Industry, she’s been involved in everything from releasing films with Helena Bonham Carter to recording the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in St Paul’s Cathedral. She is also deeply passionate about sport, health and science - all of which has led to her creating Geo-genomix—a pioneering initiative to help people achieve better health outcomes through personalised insights. Today she shares, amongst other things:

💪 How - despite a chronic autoimmune condition - she’s learnt to channel pressure into opportunity;

💪 What she means by ‘Navigating the Nos’

💪 What helps in her pursuit of making it into the England over-45 masters hockey squad.

Let’s find out how she manages her energy to be… Better Under Pressure.

 

Outline 📍 
00:00 Intro
03:16 What comes to mind when I mention Pressure?
06:37 How has the lack of women in senior music roles shaped your journey?
09:27 How do you navigate a yes when facing a stuck no?
12:07 Has that mindset always held up under pressure, or have you had to dig deep to maintain it?
18:18 Insight 1: Lessons learned
21:12 Balancing an autoimmune condition with elite-level goals — how did you do it?
23:26 Balancing data and spirit — how do you stay on the right side of pressure?
28:15 What's been the hardest pressure for you to navigate?
36:01 Insight 2: Lessons learned
37:11 Understanding your body is key — what works for one may not work for another.
39:42 How do you switch off?
44:26 What 2 pieces of advice would you pass forward to people listening?
47:18 Outro 

This episode of BUP is special: In the summer of 2019 Claire Danson, European Triathlon Champion collided with a tractor while she was out training, her future instantly transformed from professional triathlete to life in a wheelchair.  As performance coaches, at Coaching Impact we work with many athletes and leaders in the sector, but my conversation with Claire goes down as one of the most inspiring I’ve had on this podcast. Claire’s story of resilience and reinvention as a para-athlete offers profound insights into our relationship with pressure. Do listen, Claire is deeply inspiring and is full of practical tips to apply whatever pressure you might be under.