What if life were simply a series of different adventures we say “yes” to?

Because often the most rewarding experiences are the ones we don’t plan.

My guest on this week’s Fearless Forward podcast is an international marketing leader whose career is a masterclass in saying “yes” to the adventures life brings.

Kathryn Giblin’s journey is shaped by a willingness to embrace life as it comes – even when she’s not 100% ready – and learning as she goes.

Looking back over a career that’s involved international moves, industry shifts, unexpected personal challenges, and some regrets, she chooses to focus on what she has – not on what she lacks.

And if you think a seasoned leader like Kathryn would be fearless, she shares a story about being more terrified during an assessment with her search and rescue dog than during any boardroom presentation. It’s a fascinating insight into how fear can show up in unexpected ways: in this case, fear of losing control manifesting as micromanagement.

We also explore the mental and emotional toll of menopause. If you’re a woman reading this, you may appreciate Kathryn’s vulnerable sharing of her associated anxiety, cognitive challenges, and severely depleted energy reserves.

Kathryn doesn’t offer a one-size-fits-all answer, but she does encourage you to proactively seek the right help.

And she reminds us that leadership is about showing up - sometimes fearlessly, sometimes with trepidation, but always with curiosity and resilience.

If you’re navigating your own career crossroads, facing new challenges, or dealing with personal transitions, my conversation with Kathryn might help you see the adventure in it all.

This episode will help you:

• Discover how to approach life as a continuous adventure: proactively advance your career, embrace new opportunities, and network with purpose.
• Reframe personal and professional failures into valuable learning opportunities that drive long-term personal growth.
• Learn actionable mental training strategies towards managing sudden anxiety, overcoming the fear of failure, and resisting the urge to micromanage critical situations.

Highlights

• [00:01:16] Introduction to Kathryn Giblin
• [00:03:12] Career as an Adventure
• [00:05:08] Embracing the Present
• [00:06:15] An Unplanned Career Path
• [00:09:25] The Power of Saying Yes
• [00:11:47] Unexpected Anxiety and Fear
• [00:12:17] The Search and Rescue Assessment
• [00:13:49] Fear of Failure and Micromanagement
• [00:17:15] Learning to Trust and Let Go
• [00:19:21] Reframing Failure as Learning
• [00:22:57] Integrating Adventure into Career Choices
• [00:31:26] Current Role as Fractional CMO
• [00:33:59] The Challenges of Perimenopause
• [00:38:07] Fear of Losing Competence
• [00:42:39] The Importance of Talking About Menopause
• [00:47:45] What "Fearless Forward" Means

Resources

• Connect with Kathryn on LinkedIn
• Spotless Water website
• Essex Search and Rescue website

Sometimes, the greatest opportunities are born from the greatest uncertainty.

In 1991, the collapse of the former Soviet Union gave rise to a dynamic market economy. One particular physicist and mathematician not only witnessed but actively shaped the transformation of Russia’s business landscape.

That man was Mikhail Klarin. Moving from scholar to pioneer, he helped build the coaching profession in Russia from the ground up, and is regarded by many as the father of executive coaching in Russia.

My conversation with Mikhail on this week’s episode of the Fearless Forward podcast reveals a story of embracing uncertainty, innovating in the face of skepticism, and leading with curiosity and courage.

Mikhail is both a deep thinker and a pragmatist, whose creative approaches to unlocking hidden business dynamics have set him apart. He converts his unique insights into actionable strategies for navigating change.

The physicist in Mikhail loves to explore and experiment, not least in adapting constellation therapy for the business world. With his small team he creates a living, moving model of a company’s market, revealing hidden dynamics, competitive tensions, and unseen opportunities. It may sound like magic, but his rigorous approach yields astonishingly accurate results.

From the fear of entering a completely new professional world to the uneasiness of explaining his unconventional work to skeptical colleagues, Mikhail has faced his share of fear.

His lesson? If you want to move forward and innovate, fear is not a stop sign - it’s a natural companion on the journey.

My conversation with Mikhail is an exploration of history, psychology, and the very edge of what we consider business strategy to be about.

This episode will help you:

• Understand how to reframe self-doubt and imposter syndrome as part of your personal growth journey when navigating unfamiliar professional territory.
• Explore how systemic constellation modelling can uncover hidden market dynamics, competitive relationships, and unforeseen business opportunities.
• How mental fears and career uneasiness can be used as useful data; rather than regular roadblocks when taking strategic leaps forward.

Highlights

• [00:00:00] Introduction to Mikhail Klarin
• [00:02:07] The Fall of the Soviet Union and the Rise of the Market Economy
• [00:07:43] Reframing Imposter Syndrome as Growth
• [00:09:47] Introduction to Systemic Constellation Work in Business
• [00:13:06] Case Study: The 'Lazy Cats' and Hostile Competitors
• [00:21:07] The Science of the Field: Morphogenetic Fields and Physics
• [00:24:18] Validating the Model: Accuracy and Business Fiction
• [00:35:22] Business Art Performance and Future Research
• [00:39:18] The Transition from Academia to Multinational Corporations
• [00:41:53] The Fear of the Unknown and Parental Anxiety
• [00:46:10] What Fearless Forward Means to Mikhail

Resources

• Mikhail's website
• Connect with Mikhail on LinkedIn

Fear can be paralysing, or it can be a motivator. For burns survivor Marc Convey, it’s a motivator.

On the Fearless Forward podcast this week Marc offers profound insight into the power of facing things as they are and acting from there.

It’s a powerful story of extreme adversity, fear and courage.

At just 14, Marc survived a horrific accident that left him with severe burns over 38% of his body and a 3% chance of survival. The path forward was gruelling: 30+ operations in under four years – the first 17 in just four months; torturous two-hour daily dressing changes; and relearning 100s of routine tasks.

For Marc though, the biggest fear wasn’t physical pain or permanent disfigurement, but the prospect of falling behind his peers.

“Knowing that there was so much fear in dropping back was probably the first time I used fear as an unbelievable motivator to drive forward.”

He learnt to write with his non-dominant hand, to keep up with his school work even while undergoing relentless surgeries, and eventually to enter university and live a fully independent life.

Above all Marc became, in his words, “like the CEO of my own recovery.”

He built a “board of directors” – with his mum as managing director, his dad as financial director, and the hospital staff as partners – to help him move forward in the way he wanted.

He used his stubbornness, wit, and competitive spirit to break through apparent barriers.

And he used humour, especially dark humour, to build relationships with his caregivers. This made their difficult work easier and created a human connection that supported his healing.

Listen to this conversation for a profound reminder that while we can’t always control what happens to us, we have power in the way we respond.

This episode will help you:

• Understand how to use presence and humour as practical antidotes to anxiety when facing an uncertain or painful future.
• Discover how to transform personal adversity into a powerful motivator for taking full responsibility for your own growth and recovery.
• Learn to process past traumas as a source of internal fuel and wisdom rather than allowing them to become a restrictive cage.

Highlights

• [00:00:20] Marc Conway's Story
• [00:02:33] The Accident in Ireland
• [00:05:41] A Near-Death Experience
• [00:07:41] The Journey to Hospital
• [00:08:35] Initial Medical Struggles
• [00:10:39] The Body Takes Over
• [00:13:41] A New Doctor and a New Challenge
• [00:16:03] Coping with Daily Pain and Anxiety
• [00:19:56] The Power of Attitude in Healing
• [00:23:11] Becoming the CEO of His Own Recovery
• [00:28:22] The Fear of Falling Behind
• [00:31:25] Community Support and Motivation
• [00:32:52] The Goal of Independence
• [00:36:13] A Strategic Step Towards University
• [00:39:33] Running Into Life
• [00:40:54] The Onus is on You
• [00:45:35] Sharing His Story to Help Others
• [00:49:38] What "Fearless Forward" Means

Resources

• Marc's website
• Connect with Marc on LinkedIn
• Connect with Marc on Instagram