"Confidence is the first step of protest. And whether that is a protest where you make a sign and you go and stand outside down the street, or whether it's a protest when you're in a doctor's surgery room and the doctor's not listening to you, or whether it's a protest at the school gates because your kid's teacher's not taking your kid's needs seriously. Confidence is the first step of that self-advocacy and we need that so much right now because the tactics that our governments are using is fear. Fear divides people. Fear keeps people small, and fear takes your confidence away."

When does a moment of frustration lead to a movement that helps people to be more confident? In this episode, Lauren Currie, an artist, entrepreneur, and founder of Upfront, shares how it all started, and where it's all heading. From confronting systemic sexism on conference stages to the evolution of her business, how we can follow our path and take on the barriers that we come across.

We dig into why confidence is not a personality trait but a practice, how "small protests" can reshape culture, and what happens when you step into (and own) your creative identity as an artist, leader, and author. If you're looking for inspiration to start or to keep going on your own change journey, this conversation will inspire you to take the first step.

Highlights:

00:00 Confidence as protest in a culture of fear

02:38 Meet Lauren Currie: artist, entrepreneur, mom, founder of Upfront

07:35 The "other door" moment: when one stage opens another

09:47 Creating safe practice spaces for women's voices

12:25 Realising confidence is a systemic, not personal, problem

14:10 The red sofa movement, prototyping a new stage

17:38 Are we losing progress for women?

25:10 The nuances of supporting men and navigating backlash

27:34 Internalised misogyny and women in power

29:11 The surprisingly fun (and long!) journey to publishing a book

34:48 Grit and honesty: "nobody else is going to sell your book"

40:03 Naming ambition: why women need to own their hunger for impact

45:29 Demystifying publishing: numbers, costs, hard truths

51:47 The power of play, art, and showing up every day

Lauren's Change Toolkit:

Soundtracks: Anything by Taylor Swift. "Everyone Supports Women" by Sophia Isella

Book: We Need Your Art: Stop Messing Around and Make Something by Amie McNee

One piece of advice:

"You get to decide. You make the rules, you're in charge. People forget how much agency they have, especially if you've been trained to put everyone else's needs above your own. Really sit with that: you get to choose."

About Lauren Currie:

Lauren Currie is an artist, entrepreneur, author, and founder of Lauren Currie is one of the most sought-after speakers on confidence, women's leadership and cultural change, known for combining honesty, humour and clarity in a way that leaves audiences thinking differently long after the event ends.

From global companies to grassroots communities, Lauren's talks challenge the invisible rules that hold people back and offer practical, emotionally intelligent tools for building confidence, visibility and influence.

Website: https://upfrontglobal.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_laurencurrie_/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurencurrie/

Work with Eleanor:

Buy the Book - Another Door Opens; 5 steps for navigating change. Described as 'Game changing' 'Brilliant' 'A must read' 'The best book on change'.

Eleanor supports individuals, teams and organisations through change. Whether it's coaching or large scale organisational change through communications and training.

Work with Eleanor 121 as your coach, when you are starting something new, to develop the idea, to create the idea, to get it launched.

Book in a Change Mastery for a team session - when your team is navigating change.

Book in a 90 minute workshop - to think through change at work.

Instagram:instagram/anotherdooruk

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanor-tweddell/

Website: www.another-door-opens.com

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk

"I have found, when I've shared my fails as well as the journey to getting to my wins, the people who are there with me at the winning line, that finish line, are more involved in that story because they've come with me on the journey. And more often than not, the fails on the journey have led to more opportunities landing for me because people want to talk to me about the fails more than the the wins."

What does it really take to shut the door on a thriving city business and step into an entirely different life in rural France ? In this episode, I speak to Lucy Werner shares the honest story behind her midlife relocation from London PR agency owner to creative entrepreneur deep in rural France.

From testing the extremes of a new place (she picked the bleakest winter to see if she'd survive), making peace with a vanishing identity, facing language and cultural mishaps, and learning to create opportunities in a new place, Lucy is refreshingly upfront about the messy, emotional reality behind "living the dream."

If you're making a big change or you just want insight into real-life reinvention, this episode offers both inspiration and permission to embrace the adventure (and the failures).

Highlights

00:00 Show a bit of ankle: Why sharing your messy bits matters

02:57 Meet Lucy Werner: author and creative force behind HypeYourself.com

04:45 The decision to leave London

06:30 The everyday build-up that pushed her to relocate

08:21 Testing the worst-case scenario

11:14 Adapting her business model and why hiding her new life didn't work

16:15 The unexpected opportunities in rural France

19:11 Losing the city, and gaining a new sense of self

25:46 Loneliness, isolation, and building real connection as an expat

32:37 "Too many open doors": Is moving once ever enough?

39:30 What makes somewhere home after a big change?

43:02 Why Lucy Werner chose the newsletter route over social media

46:44 The power of play, testing, and saying yes to imperfect experiments

51:36 The magic of honesty, asking for help, and sharing your unfinished story

Lucy's Change Toolkit:

Soundtracks:

"Music Sounds Better With You" by Stardust (plus the French version by Magenta Club – "Avec Toi")

Book:

Book of Play by Michael Rosen

One piece of advice:

"Show a bit of ankle. You don't have to share everything, but let people in on the real story, including the fails. People connect more with your journey than your wins, and often the messy bits unlock new opportunities."

About Lucy Werner:

Lucy is the author of three books, co-founder of three children, and founder of HypeYourself.com, a platform helping self-employed people get seen and get paid. A PR expert with 20+ years' experience, she's worked with leading creative agencies, high-growth startups and hundreds of freelancers, and now teaches independents to earn more, work smarter and promote themselves confidently. She writes The Hype, formerly a Substack Top 50 global business newsletter, and has written for iNews, Creative Boom and Metro. Featured in The Times, Stylist, Forbes and more, she's also a Domestika instructor and Adobe Express ambassador.

Website: hypeyourself.com

Work with Eleanor:

Buy the Book - Another Door Opens; 5 steps for navigating change. Described as 'Game changing' 'Brilliant' 'A must read' 'The best book on change'.

Eleanor supports individuals, teams and organisations through change. Whether it's coaching or large scale organisational change through communications and training.

Work with Eleanor 121 as your coach, when you are starting something new, to develop the idea, to create the idea, to get it launched.

Book in a Change Mastery for a team session - when your team is navigating change.

Book in a 90 minute workshop - to think through change at work.

Instagram:instagram/anotherdooruk

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanor-tweddell/

Website: www.another-door-opens.com

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk