The Rebellious Leader™

Have you ever received an email, a piece of client feedback or even a simple “I can’t afford it” and felt your whole body react before your brain has had a chance to catch up? Your chest goes prickly. Your stomach drops. You replay the conversation. You start questioning your pricing, your offer, your decisions, maybe your entire bloody business. But does the size of your reaction actually tell you the size of the problem? In this episode of The Rebellious Leader, I’m exploring what happens when someone else’s reaction becomes evidence about us, and what happens when our emotional response starts making business decisions. I share a personal story about receiving a refund request from a former client 18 months after we'd finished working together, despite having ended on good terms and achieved strong results together. My immediate response wasn't calm, strategic consideration. It was: “Oh my God. What have I done wrong?” And that distinction matters. Because there was a business situation to deal with. And there was my emotional reaction to it. They weren't the same problem. We’ll look at why a client saying “I can't afford it” can lead us to add more to an already good offer, why one no can suddenly have us questioning our entire business, and how our attempts to avoid rejection, criticism or disappointment can quietly start shaping our strategy. I also share a recent client example where being challenged created a huge physical and emotional response, even though once we'd examined what had happened, she still stood by the decision she'd made. The goal wasn't to make her stop caring. It was to help her find a more neutral place where she could check the feedback, take responsibility for anything that genuinely belonged to her, and leave the rest. Because taking someone seriously doesn't require you to agree with them. Topics covered: Why someone else’s reaction is information, not proof that you’ve done something wrong How criticism, rejection and client feedback can trigger disproportionate emotional reactions Why “I can’t afford it” doesn’t automatically mean your pricing is wrong How feelings can quietly start shaping your offers, messaging and strategy Taking feedback without automatically adopting someone else’s version of events A five-question Rebellious Leader Audit to help you decide from evidence rather than reaction Let’s Connect: Come say hi on Instagram: @mills_gray Website: https://www.millsgray.com The Rebellious Leader Book: https://www.millsgray.com/book/ Lucy Legal: Contract templates for business owners

What if you've correctly identified the problem in your business… but you're trying to solve it in completely the wrong place? You know sales are inconsistent, content isn't happening, your team relies on you too much or your boundaries aren't working. So you try another strategy, a better system or stronger boundaries. And yet somehow, the problem is still bloody there. In this episode of The Rebellious Leader, I'm exploring a different question: Where does this problem actually live? Using the NLP model of Neurological Levels, I look at six places a business problem can exist: environment, behaviour, capability, beliefs and values, identity, and purpose. Being inconsistent with content could mean you don't have time, you don't know how to create it, or you believe talking about your success makes you look boastful. Same problem on the surface. Very different problem underneath. We'll explore why another content strategy won't fix a visibility belief, how a boundary problem can actually be structural, and why deeper mindset work isn't automatically better. You can't choose the right intervention until you've diagnosed the problem. Let's Connect: Come say hi on Instagram: @mills_gray Website: https://www.millsgray.com The Rebellious Leader Book: https://www.millsgray.com/book/

If Instagram feels like a beast you can't control, this episode is going to change that. I'm joined by Claire, founder of Studio 5 Social, who's spent years helping business owners get seen and get sales on Instagram without the overwhelm. We get into the four biggest mistakes she sees over and over, why chasing virality can actually wreck your business, the trend she was doing before anyone else, and the one thing about your Instagram audience that most people don't realise until it's too late. Key Topics Covered In this conversation with Instagram strategist Claire from Studio 5 Social, we cover: The four biggest Instagram mistakes business owners make and how to fix them Why the algorithm isn't a beast, it just needs to be taught How to know if your content strategy is actually working, beyond likes and followers Why going viral can be the worst thing that happens to your business How to get comfortable on camera when you hate being on camera Why you don't actually own your Instagram audience, and what to do about it A breakdown of her offers, including the one she'd "marry" and the one she'd ditch Connect With Claire, Studio 5 Social Instagram: @studio5social (DMs are her happy place) Email: [email protected], also available for enquiries Website: studio5social.co.uk Let's Connect: Come say hi on Instagram: @mills_gray Website: https://www.millsgray.com The Rebellious Leader Book: https://www.millsgray.com/book/

You know you need to be more visible. You know you need to market your business, sell, follow up or finally build the thing you keep talking about. There’s just one small problem: you genuinely don’t have the bloody time. But is lack of time actually the problem? In this episode of The Rebellious Leader, I’m sharing a conversation with a client whose diary was so full that the obvious answer seemed to be better time management, stronger boundaries and saying no to more work. Except when I asked her whether saying no would become easier if she had more than enough money coming in, she said no. And that changed the conversation. Because sometimes busyness isn’t just a capacity problem. Sometimes it’s also doing a very useful job of keeping us away from the bits of business that feel uncomfortable visibility, self-promotion, selling, being judged or questioning whether we’re credible enough. We’ll explore why the presenting problem is rarely the governing problem, how your business can start mirroring what’s happening underneath your behaviour, and why creating more space won’t necessarily change anything if you haven’t looked at what you’ll do once that space exists. I also talk about why this isn’t about turning every legitimate business problem into a mindset problem. Sometimes your diary really is ridiculous. Sometimes your strategy needs fixing. Sometimes you need more leads, better conversion, higher prices or fewer offers. The interesting work is knowing which problem you’re actually solving. Resources: If this episode gave you one of those slightly uncomfortable oh shit moments, come and tell me on Instagram: @mills_gray And if you want to look at your business differently, grab a copy of my book, The Rebellious Leader — a business book for women done playing by the rules. Explore working with me: https://www.millsgray.com

If you're constantly telling yourself don't check, don't reply, don't get involved, don't rescue… I don't think you necessarily need better boundaries. You might need better business design. In this episode of The Rebellious Leader, I'm questioning one of the most overused pieces of advice given to successful women in business: “You need better boundaries.” Because there's a massive difference between a personal boundary and a structural boundary. One requires you to keep resisting the thing. The other changes the business so you don't have to. I share a client example that made me ask, “Why the fuck are your clients in your WhatsApp?”, as well as how I've had to rethink my own relationship with Voxer, client access and availability as my business has evolved. Because being accessible to your clients doesn't mean being constantly available to them. And sometimes we're getting pissed off because people aren't respecting boundaries we've never consistently taught them in the first place. Let's Connect: Come say hi on Instagram: @mills_gray Website: https://www.millsgray.com The Rebellious Leader Book: https://www.millsgray.com/book/