Podcast: Optimising Leader Brilliance

Watch or Listen now on:

Lead strategically with calm confidence with Estelle Read, Bestselling Author, Coach, Speaker, and guests. Optimising Leader Brilliance is the self-improvement toolkit for leaders ready to break performance ceilings and achieve next level results. Get science-backed strategies and mindset shifts to tackle imposter syndrome, workaholism, anxiety, and self-sabotage. We provide stress relief and burnout solutions to help you reduce your workload and reclaim your time. We also share tools to clarify your strategic direction and deliver the brilliant results you’re capable of.

Learn From Incredible Guests:

We have welcomed an incredible array of guests to the show, including Professor Damian Hughes, host of the chart-topping High Performance Podcast, and Sarah Walker-Smith, the integrity-driven CEO of Shakespeare Martineau and head of the professional services group Ampa. Our line up also features Dr Linda Blair, a Chartered Clinical Psychologist and renowned broadcaster known for her work on The One Show and Child of Our Time, as well as Irini Tzortzoglou, a MasterChef winner and Greek culinary expert who transitioned from a career as a banking executive to becoming a sommelier and keynote speaker. In addition to hearing from these experts you can also listen to my bestselling book, Inner Brilliance • Outer Shine: 10 Antidotes to Imposter Syndrome, Workaholism and Stress.

Upgrade Your Leadership with:

The Brilliant Leader's Notebook

Transform inspiration into action. Every week, you’ll receive bite-sized leadership strategies, actionable insights, and coaching questions directly from the podcast.

Sign up today and instantly get your free workbook:

10 Antidotes to Imposter Syndrome, Workaholism & Stress

Partner with Optimising Leader Brilliance

Our audience consists of highly compensated, well-educated corporate leaders, directors, and senior managers. Partnering with us means bypassing the mass-market noise and placing your product, service, or methodology directly in front of B2B decision-makers.

Episodes

Optimising Leader Brilliance: Enabling Calm, Confident, Strategic Leadership

Are your leadership strategies failing to deliver next-level results, filling you with self-doubt or overwhelm? Stop self-sabotage and regain your edge with Optimising Leader Brilliance—the self-improvement toolkit for Executive Leaders and HR Directors. We help you feel inspired and grow both yourself and your business by transforming your leadership to be calm, confident, and strategic. Get a summary of the learnings from each episode with actionable steps in The Brilliant Leaders Notebook at EstelleRead.com.

What if rejection were information—not a verdict on yourability? Michael Hutchison joins Estelle Read to explore how influence differs from persuasion, and how leaders can build trust by understanding people and aligning interests. He shares lessons from early sales presentations, a supplier’s withdrawal just before launch, and adapting his business during the pandemic. The conversation also offers practical ways to handle objections, use feedback constructively, protect your peace, and focus on building people for the long term.

What You Will Learn

💡 How to create influence through trust, understanding, and aligned interests—not pressure.
💡How to treat rejection and sales objections as information rather than as a judgment of your identity.
💡How to respond when plans change, protect your peace, and lead by helping people grow.

Here’s to your leadership development and personal growth!

Estelle Read

Bestselling Author, Leadership Coach & Host of Optimising Leader Brilliance

Timestamps:

(00:00) Cold Open: Michael's First Sales Presentation(00:57) Welcome to Optimising Leader Brilliance(01:41) Episode Preview: Reframing Sales & Rejection(02:49) Meet Michael Hutchison(02:59) Influence vs. Persuasion: The Core Philosophy(05:43) Roots in Tony Robbins(06:14) Origin Story: Military Family & Situational Introversion(09:29) Cold Calling for Tony Robbins(11:11) Overcoming the Fear of Presenting(14:03) The Belgrade Convention: 9,000+ Attendees(15:26) Building Trust Through Entertainment & Education(17:26) Post-Convention Follow-Up Strategy(18:48) Biggest Mistake Leaders Make in Sales(19:49) Rejection Is Just Information, Not Identity(24:00) Building Emotional Strength(25:55) Protecting Your Peace: Daily Practices(26:40) The Billion-Dollar Supplier Pullout(29:30) Pivoting: From Rejection to Direct Cruise Line Deals(30:53) Surviving the 2020 Pandemic(32:23) Giving Back: Mercy Ships Sponsorship(33:17) Three Actionable Tips for Leaders(34:13) Lead With Love & the View From Salzburg(37:45) Guest Question: What's Most Important About Leading You?(39:52) Question for the Next Guest(41:27) Pause, Reflect, Act: Coaching Questions(43:19) Outro & Disclaimer📱FOLLOW OR CONTACT:
⭐GUEST: Michael Hutchison

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhutch/

https://www.incruises.com/

https://in.group/

⭐ HOST: Estelle Readhttps://linktr.ee/EstelleAtBeee or @EstelleReadCoach

🧰 ACCESS FREE RESOURCES

⭐Want a summary of today’s learnings?

Subscribe to The Brilliant Leader’s Notebook, to get the key takeaways from every singleepisode: https://mailchi.mp/a0cfa5a8a10c/8chmrywh3r

⭐Find Out Which of the 7 Leadership Saboteurs is Holding You Back by Completing the Scorecard:

https://estelle-read.scoreapp.com/

⭐Download Estelle’s Free Journal & Self-Coaching Tool:

https://mailchi.mp/dab4b2568b71/free-inner-brilliance-outer-shine-journal

⭐Access Other Free Resources:

⁠https://estelleread.com/resources/⁠

❤️ CAN YOU HELP?

We bring this show to you for free. You can help us keep growing and going by taking 30 seconds to:

🔔 Subscribe or follow so you never miss an episode.

📨 Share the show with a friend.

✍️ Leave a review to help others find us.

🗓️ BOOK A 15 FREE DISCOVERY CALL:

⭐https://calendly.com/estelleatbeee/15-minute-discovery-call

🧠ESTELLE READ’S COACHING PROGRAMMES:

⬆️⁠The Optimised Leader Programme: NEXT LEVEL⁠:

https://estelleread.com/next-level-leadership-programme/

🎇⁠The Resilient Leader Programme: SHINE⁠:

https://estelleread.com/the-shine-coaching-programme/

🎧LISTEN OR WATCH ON ALTERNATIVE PLATFORMS📺

⭐Here: https://pod.link/1515648162

⚠️ DICLAIMER

This podcast is for informational purposes only and shouldnot be considered professional advice. Please consult a qualified professional for specific advice. Don’t suffer alone.