Episode 28

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Published on:

10th Apr 2025

Stress traps: The 5 patterns holding you back and how to break free (Ep.28)

Stress is sneaky. It doesn’t always show up as overwhelm or burnout. Sometimes, it looks like:

Holding yourself to impossibly high standards, so even small tasks feel high-stakes
Saying “yes” to too much, even when your plate is already full
Not asking others to help because delegating feels risky
Working harder and longer... but not actually making much progress
Pushing through exhaustion, believing rest is a luxury not a necessity.

Sound familiar?

Because stress isn’t just about workload. It’s about the patterns we fall into when pressure hits. The good news? These patterns can be changed.

In this episode of the Quiet Leadership Revolution podcast, Lucy Gower and Juliet Corbett explore the five hidden stress traps that hold leaders back - and, more importantly, how to break free from them.

Episode links

'What if slowing down helps you speed up?' (Ep 20)

Connect with Lucy

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucygower/

Email: lucy@lucidity.org.uk

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Join the Lucidity Network: https://network.lucidity.org.uk/

Connect with Juliet

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/julietcorbett

Email: juliet@consultjuliet.co.uk

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Download the free ebook, 'The Strategic Leader'

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About the Podcast

Juliet and Lucy's Quiet Leadership Revolution

The world doesn't need any more noise, an army of identical leaders or rigid leadership models. Instead, the challenges we all face call for thoughtful, reflective, confident leadership. People who want to lead by example, bring others with them and who are ready to learn and adapt to deliver brilliant results.

Join Juliet Corbett and Lucy Gower as they explore the transformative power of quiet leadership. Through candid conversations and practical insights they guide senior and aspiring leaders to carve out time to think, discover their own leadership style and cultivate a culture of empowerment and growth.

It's time to make your voice heard and your impact felt. Tune in and join the Quiet Leadership Revolution.

About your hosts

Juliet Corbett

Juliet Corbett is an executive coach and strategy adviser, guiding senior leaders to find their strategic focus, empower their teams and regain control over their time.

She has over 20 years' experience of leading, consulting and coaching, with responsibilities spanning fundraising, marketing, governance and strategic planning. While she has worked with leaders in a variety of sectors, she has particularly deep experience in the world of education.

Since founding her business in 2018 she's helped hundreds of senior leaders to deliver their goals with confidence and ease through coaching programmes, workshops and strategy away days.

She's been podcasting since 2020 and has distilled the knowledge and experience gained along the way into two podcasts: Juliet and Lucy's Quiet Leadership Revolution as well as her previous award-winning podcast, The Independent School Podcast.

Lucy Gower

Lucy Gower is the founder and director of Lucidity. An accomplished facilitator, trainer, and coach, she is the bestselling author of The Innovation Workout and How to Have Confidence at Work and co-host on the Quiet Leadership Revolution podcast. As the founder of the Lucidity Network and a sought-after global speaker on innovation, Lucy helps leaders achieve clarity, think differently, and take action for impactful results.

Through tailored training and coaching programmes, Lucy supports her clients in driving meaningful change - whether that’s developing new business strategies, launching product propositions, or cultivating high-performance team cultures. She works in partnership with leaders to provide the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to accelerate progress and maximise impact.

Lucy has empowered hundreds of individuals and teams to collaborate, innovate, and bring about lasting change. Her clients span a range of sectors and include Air Ambulance, Anthony Nolan, The Children’s Society, Digital Catapult, Exeter University, Housing Quality Network, Hospice UK, Libraries Unlimited, Médecins Sans Frontières, Mind, MOD, MS Society, Nesta, NHS Charities Together, Pancreatic Cancer UK, Plymouth Hospitals Charity, Red Cross, and Samaritans.

Connect with Lucy on LinkedIn or get in touch at lucy@lucidity.org.uk.