Courage and Confidence
Are you looking for courage and confidence? Us too: Lee Iggulden is founder of Welshot Photographic Academy and Michelle Rogers of Thinking Space is her coach. Together, we’re building the courage and confidence we all need to make the difference we want to see, whether that’s in our work, our lives or our communities.Join us – and our guests – as we share experiences, ideas, tools and techniques to embolden and encourage. Our conversations will be open, honest, and helpful, and we hope to inspire you to have more courage and confidence.To ensure you never miss an episode of Coura...
Making Good and Breaking Bad Habits
Making Good (and Breaking Bad) Habits
In this episode of Courage and Confidence, hosts Lee Iggulden and Michelle Rogers explore the practical science of habit formation, drawing heavily from James Clear’s best-selling book Atomic Habits. The conversation moves beyond simple willpower, directing attention instead on building systems that make positive behaviours automatic and sustainable.
Michelle introduces the core metaphor for habit-building as gardening. Just as a gardener tends to delicate flowers daily, removing pests and ensuring proper sunlight, we must cultivate our habits with constant care. Lee admits that while he can hire help fo...
Joining the Dots
SHOW NOTES
In this episode, Lee and Michelle turn an unplanned recording slot into a surprisingly rich conversation about trusting the process of life.
The discussion kicks off with a quote from Steve Jobs’ 2005 commencement address at Stanford:
"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards, so you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future."
That idea sparks a wide-ranging conversation covering:
The difference between gut instinct and impulsiveness, and why Lee has learned to pause before en...In Conversation with Laura Cave of Just Trade
In Conversation with Laura Cave of Just Trade
This week, Michelle and Lee are joined by Laura Cave, founder of Just Trade, a Fairtrade jewellery and accessories company celebrating its 20th anniversary. Laura's story begins long before the business, with a degree in jewellery and silversmithing at Birmingham University, a chance connection to a community project in Peru, and a one-way ticket booked on the strength of a summer job at the Sainsbury's cheese counter.
In this episode, we cover:
How Laura ended up volunteering in a shantytown in Lima...Bouncing Forwards
What's this episode about?
Lee and Michelle take a look at "bouncing back" and ask whether getting back to where we were before is really the goal. Often, it isn't.
Instead, they talk about "bouncing forward": using setbacks to move on rather than slipping back into old habits and old versions of ourselves.
Key topics covered:
Why "bouncing back" can keep us stuck in unhelpful loopsHow lessons we learned when we were younger can hold us back as adultsLee's experience when a house move fell through, and what...Half Year Review: How's 2026 Going?
Courage and Confidence | Season 3 Half-Year Review: How's 2026 Going?
This episode is a little different. Rather than a general chat, Michelle puts on her coaching hat and takes Lee through a real mid-year review session, live on the podcast: no prepared answers, no safety net, just honest reflection.
The theme running through this episode is stopping rather than starting. Michelle shares that across her coaching conversations this year, a recurring focus has been on identifying what to put down, not what to pick up.
What you'll hear...
In Conversation with Emily Massey - Model & Disability Advocate
Lee and Michelle sit down with Emily Massey, a London-based professional model and disability advocate with a story that goes far deeper than the camera. What starts as a warm catch-up about shoot locations, hiking trails, and the great "where should I move?" debate quickly becomes one of the most candid conversations the podcast has hosted.
Emily is sharp, funny, and refreshingly direct. She describes herself as "homeless" in her own body, yet she's also the person who just completed a 42-kilometre hike, passing out on slopes and still finishing...
Fitting In
Courage and Confidence Podcast – Season 3, Episode 5: "Fitting In"
What happens when one photograph online sends your thoughts spiralling? In this wonderfully honest and personal episode, Lee shares how a single image from an event she'd chosen not to attend triggered a cascade of self-doubt — and asks the question so many of us quietly wrestle with but rarely say out loud: would I have fitted in?
What follows is a warm, candid and genuinely thought-provoking conversation in which Michelle gently unpicks the difference between fitting in and...
When Opportunities Feel Like Hard Work
Courage and Confidence Podcast – Season 3, Episode 4: "When Opportunities Feel Like Hard Work"
What if the opportunity that could change everything is right in front of you — but you can't see it because it looks too much like hard work? In this thought-provoking episode, Lee and Michelle explore one of the most quietly powerful ideas they've tackled yet, inspired by a quote from Thomas Edison: "Opportunity is missed by most people because it's dressed in overalls and it looks like work."
The conversation takes a brilliantly unexpected turn when...
Confidence Is A Consequence, Not A Prerequisite
Have you ever told yourself you'll do that scary thing once you feel more confident? In this episode, Lee and Michelle tackle one of the most common confidence myths head-on: that you need to feel confident before you act.
The truth? Confidence comes after you do the thing, not before. As Michelle puts it, "confidence is a receipt: you get it after you've made the purchase."
Drawing on personal stories (including Lee hiding behind a curtain at a networking event and cancelling a paid-for photo shoot), the pair explore why we avoid...
In Conversation with Wayne Timbrell of Palmatum Coaching
Courage and Confidence Podcast – Season 3, Episode 2: Featuring Wayne Timbrell of Palmatum Coaching
In this fascinating episode, hosts Lee Iggulden and Michelle Rogers welcome a very special guest, Wayne Timbrell, founder of Palmatum Coaching, for a wide-ranging, deeply personal conversation about neurodiversity, self-discovery, and what it really means to thrive.
Wayne shares his experience as a late-diagnosed autistic individual, reflecting on a successful 25-year corporate career in digital marketing and ecommerce, and how understanding his own neurodivergent traits has transformed both his life and his work. Lee talks about her own diagnoses of...
When Life JUST Happens!
Season three of Courage and Confidence kicks off with hosts Lee Iggulden and Michelle Rogers getting refreshingly real about why they've been off the air since January. Between snowstorms, illness, bereavements, and the general chaos of life, the duo share candid, heartfelt stories about what it truly means to keep going when everything seems to conspire against you.
Michelle opens up about the sudden loss of her father and the unexpected emotional and administrative marathon that follows a bereavement — from dealing with unhelpful utility companies to organising a funeral. Lee sh...
Season 3 of Courage & Confidence Podcast
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Have you missed us? Lee and Michelle are back in the studio and back on the podcast. The podcast in which we build up our own courage and confidence while helping you to do the same thing. We'll bring you handy tips and techniques as usual, and some inspiring stories from our very special guests. Look out for our brand new episode on the 7th of AprilFind Lee at:
Website: https://welshotimaging.co.uk...A glance back at 2025 and a look forward into 2026
While it’s true that any day is a good day to start afresh, there’s something special about New Year. In this episode, Lee and Michelle take some time to talk about the past year and ponder the opportunities for 2026.
If you’d like to try this for yourself, you can find Michelle’s questions for reflection and planning here: A brand new year lies ahead of us: how will you fill it?
The book Michelle refers to is Tiny Experiments by Anne-Laure Le Cunff
...
Lee and Michelle’s virtual Christmas Lunch - a bonus twixtmas episode
As small business owners, we don’t get a Christmas Party so we thought we’d have a Twixtmas Virtual Lunch. Join us as we talk turkey, traditions, and Twixtmas. Michelle’s long held hatred of jigsaws comes up yet again but she does reveal her favourite board game.Don’t worry, there’s no singing this episode!
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Find Lee at:
Website: https://welshotimaging.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leeatwelshot/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lee.igguldenFind Michelle at:
W...In Conversation with Del Southall of The Little Reading Nest
In conversation with Del Southall
Del Southall loved her job as an Early Years teacher, so why did she give it all up to create The Little Reading Nest? Listen in to find out why, what she does, how she does it and the difference it makes.
You can find Del here:
Website: make sure to check out her blog and the courses she offers- https://www.thelittlereadingnest.co.ukInstagram: The Little Reading NestClick to send us a message.
Find Lee at:
Website: https://welshotimaging.co.uk...In conversation with Grace Farrimond of Young Blooms
In conversation with Grace Farrimond
Award-winning Chelsea medal-winning florist Grace Farrimond has led an interesting and at times challenging life. Today, we hear just a little about her personal and professional journey.
You can find Grace Farrimond here:
Website: https://youngblooms.co.uk/Youtube: Young Blooms FloristsInstagram: Young Blooms FloristsYou can find the books by Grace’s husband, Dr Stuart Farrimond, here:
Dr. Stuart Farrimond: books
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Find Lee at:
Webs...In conversation with Michelle Newman of Flow Business Support
In conversation with Michelle Newman.
Michelle Newman created Flow Business Support to help entrepreneurs do what they do best while she takes care of the rest. Listen in to hear about her experiences, challenges and how what we see on the outside might not always be what someone feels on the inside.
You can find Michelle Newman here: Flow Business Support
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Find Lee at:
Website: https://welshotimaging.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leeatwelshot/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lee.iggulden<...
Striding towards sixty
In this episode, Lee tells Michelle about a project she’s embarked upon as she heads into her sixties.
The "60 at 60" project sees Lee stepping out from behind her desk and picking up her camera. Why? Well, you’ll have to listen to find out. If you’d like to see some of the images she’s captured so far, check out her Instagram: links below.
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Find Lee at:
Website: https://welshotimaging.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leeatwelshot/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lee...In Conversation with Gill Smith - True North Vintage
Having the Courage and Confidence to change direction. Today, our guest, Gill Smith, was working in a senior teaching role when an unexpected life event caused her to stop, reflect, change direction, and work as a coach. A few years later, she changed direction again and is now a full-time reseller of gorgeous vintage décor and antique homewares, both online and in person at Harrison’s Antiques in Yorkshire. Join us to hear how Gill’s story unfolds.
You can find Gill here:
Ins...
In Conversation with Laura Robinson
Our guest today, Laura Robinson, runs Worditude: Smashingly effective online marketing mentoring - a business that she has created to 'comfortably squish in' around the rest of her life. We find out how and why she does that. I've helped hundreds of small business owners find their writing mojo, and confidently create clear, engaging web copy and marketing content.
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Find Lee at:
Website: https://welshotimaging.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leeatwelshot/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lee.igguldenFind M...
September is the new January
'September is the new January' feels like the kind of headline you'd see on a glossy magazine, but is there any truth in it? If so, how can we make the most of that?
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Find Lee at:
Website: https://welshotimaging.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leeatwelshot/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lee.igguldenFi...
Trust: hard to win, easy to lose
Have you ever been hurt by someone you thought you could trust? Have you ever wanted to demonstrate your trustworthiness?
Today, Lee and Michelle look at the Trust Equation and see how this might help us.
Take a look at the following link to understand how Trust, credibility, reliability, intimacy and self-orientation link together:
https://trustedadvisor.com/articles/the-trust-equation-a-primer
Thank you for listening. Courage and Confidence is taking a short break over the summer, and we'll be back with new ideas and topics for season 2 in the au...
Spotting Obstacles
From time to time, we all come across obstacles which hinder our progress – today, we’re chatting about how to deal with them effectively so we can be on our way again.
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Find Lee at:
Website: https://welshotimaging.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leeatwelshot/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lee.igguldenFind Michelle at:
Web: https://www.thinkingspacecoaching.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingspacecoaching/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmichellerogers/Boundaries
We hear a lot of talk about boundaries, but what are they, and how do we set them?
Useful links:
Boundaries by Dr Henry Cloud - https://www.drcloud.com/books/boundaries
Michelle's blog - Our values make us different - https://turningoverpebbles.wordpress.com/2013/05/31/our-values-make-us-different/
Click to send us a message.
Find Lee at:
Website: https://welshotimaging.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leeatwelshot/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lee.igguldenFind Michelle at:
Web: https://www.thi...Overthinking
Let's talk about overthinking (or is it overwhelm?'
We can all be prone to a little overthinking from time to time, but sometimes it can become a little too intrusive. In today's episode, Lee and Michelle debate what we mean by overthinking (and even that probably provides a good example of overthinking in action) and how we can tackle it.
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Find Lee at:
Website: https://welshotimaging.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leeatwelshot/F...Looking Back & Forward
We're almost halfway through 2025, and in this episode, Michelle takes Lee through a six-month review, looking back at where she started the year and looking forward to where she'd like to be at the end of the year. If you'd like to do your review, here are the questions Michelle uses:
Have my priorities changed since the beginning of the year? When I look back on the last six months, what am I grateful for? What am I tolerating? What am I doing when I feel like I'm adding the most value? Are there any activities where my inves...Fear of Change
Episode 10: Fear of change
Our tenth episode and our first with a very special guest!
Today, we’re talking to Katie Teesdale-Ward about the courage and confidence she’s needed to weave her way through the twists and turns of her career. From starting Kudosity, stopping Kudosity, moving from employment to self-employment, and back to employment. We also hear from Lee about the evolution of her business, Welshot Imaging, and how it has changed since it first started 16 years ago, as well as her feelings about that.
<...
Motivation
Episode 9: Motivation
Have you ever struggled to get started? Have you ever wondered what’s stopping a friend or colleague from making the progress they said they wanted to make? Have you ever heard yourself say, ‘I just don’t have the motivation?’
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of those questions, this episode is for you.
Lee and Michelle will explore the components of motivation and how we can all use that to find what we need to get started.
Click here to see Lee's Instagram Reel at the village of Llanfairp...Comparison
Episode 8 – Comparison: does it spur us on to success or is it a thorn in our side?Someone (nobody is certain who) once said ‘Comparison is the thief of joy’ – is that your experience?We all fall prey to comparison from time to time: if that’s the case, how can we make better use of it?Listen in to find out more.
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Find Lee at:
Website: https://welshotimaging.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leeatwelshot/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lee.igguldenFind...
Setting Goals
Goal-setting and habits
When we work towards being more courageous and confident, it’s great to set goals and build good habits.
Today, we’re considering which goal-setting systems work best, asking ourselves whether we should share our goals or keep them to ourselves and how to use our habits to help us smash them.
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Find Lee at:
Website: https://welshotimaging.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leeatwelshot/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lee.igguldenFind Mich...
The Importance of Accountability
The importance of accountability – doesn’t sound very interesting, does it?
Through this episode we’re going to talk more about what it actually means, why it matters and how we actually set it up.
During the episode, we refer to the idea of setting up a personal board of directors: if you’d like to know more about this, check out this link to Michelle's blog -
https://turningoverpebbles.wordpress.com/2021/04/16/do-you-need-a-personal-board-of-directors/
Click to send us a message.
Find Lee at:
Website: https://welshotimaging.co.uk/Instag...Feeling Like An Imposter
From time to time, we all get those annoying little voices in our heads questioning our ability to do something and they can absolutely shred our confidence. We’ll discuss what they are, what they sound like, and how we can challenge them.
References: Hugh Laurie quote – ‘It’s a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you’re ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything. There is almost no such thing as ready. There is only now. And you may as well do it now. Generally...
Does mindset matter?
Episode 4: Does mindset matter?What is mindset? What difference does it make? Is there a way we can improve our mindsets?Book recommendations:Mindset – changing the way you think to fulfil your potential: Carol DweckThink Again- the power of knowing what you don’t know: Adam Grant
Click to send us a message.
Find Lee at:
Website: https://welshotimaging.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leeatwelshot/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lee.igguldenFind Michelle at:
Web: https://www.thinkingspacecoaching.com/Instagram: https://www.inst...How do we learn?
Have you ever thought about how you actually learn a new skill? What are the different stages of learning? Is there a better way of doing so? How do we capture what we learn?If you want to learn more about learning, check out the Coursera course, ‘Learning how to learn’.
https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn
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Find Lee at:
Website: https://welshotimaging.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leeatwelshot/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lee.igguldenFind Mich...
What made us choose the name
What made us choose the name? What are our experiences? When have we felt most confident? Most courageous? Is there a difference between the two? Comfort zones vs stretch zones.
Click to send us a message.
Find Lee at:
Website: https://welshotimaging.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leeatwelshot/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lee.igguldenFind Michelle at:
Web: https://www.thinkingspacecoaching.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingspacecoaching/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmichellerogers/The One With No Title
Click to send us a message.
Find Lee at:
Website: https://welshotimaging.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leeatwelshot/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lee.igguldenFind Michelle at:
Web: https://www.thinkingspacecoaching.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingspacecoaching/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmichellerogers/