About the Hosts:

Lee Povey and Steve Mellor are leadership coaches and hosts of The Founders Catalyst, a podcast dedicated to helping founders, executives, and rising leaders navigate the complexities of personal and professional growth. With decades of combined experience in elite sports, executive coaching, and team development, Lee and Steve offer real-world insights, sharp coaching tools, and thought-provoking conversations for the modern leader.

About the Episode:

In this episode of The Founders Catalyst, Steve and Lee dive deep into what they believe is the most important leadership skill of all: self-awareness. They unpack why so many leaders think they’re self-aware (but aren’t), what self-awareness actually involves, and how to begin doing the real work.

The conversation spans everything from childhood programming and cultural influences to emotional intelligence, dyslexia, burnout, and building sustainable leadership habits. Expect powerful personal insights, practical frameworks, and a few laughs along the way.

If you're a founder or leader looking to improve your emotional intelligence, decision-making, and relationships with your team... this one’s for you.

Takeaways:

• Why self-awareness is the foundation of effective leadership
• The emotional work of leadership: noticing vs. reacting
• How upbringing, trauma, and culture shape our responses
• Emotional intelligence (EQ) vs. intellectual intelligence (IQ)
• Why most people think they’re self-aware, and are wrong
• Emotions as data: understanding anger, sadness, fear, joy, interest, and disgust
• The importance of "noting" emotions in real time
• Building sustainable leadership practices: rest, boundaries, and balance
• Leading while tired, triggered, or overwhelmed and how to prepare for it
• Feedback loops, reflection, and what it really means to “do the work”

“You don’t become self-aware just by deciding to be. It’s a journey, a practice, one you get wrong, again and again, until slowly, you don’t.” – Steve Mellor

“Emotions are data. If we learn to listen, they tell us exactly what’s happening within us, and what we might need to change.” – Lee Povey

Links & Resources Mentioned:

• Daniel Kahneman's research on decision-making and self-assessment
• Brené Brown’s research on emotional language (83 emotions)
• The six core emotions model: Fear, Joy, Anger, Sadness, Interest, Disgust
• Lee Povey’s men’s group (mentioned during emotional awareness segment)
• The Founders Catalyst LinkedIn Community: Join here
• Contact the hosts directly for feedback or coaching inquiries

Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. Stay tuned for more insights and discussions to help you thrive in both your personal and professional life.

Join Our LinkedIn Group!
Become a part of The Founders Catalyst, a free community for founders, start-up executives, and high achievers. Network, ask questions, and participate in our free monthly Zoom meetings. Connect with like-minded individuals and expand your professional circle. Join here.

Lee Povey and Steve Mellor are leadership coaches and hosts of The Founders Catalyst, a podcast dedicated to helping founders, executives, and rising leaders navigate the complexities of personal and professional growth. With decades of combined experience in elite sports, executive coaching, and team development, Lee and Steve offer real-world insights, sharp coaching tools, and thought-provoking conversations for the modern leader.

📝 Episode Summary:

As Q2 wraps and the second half of the year begins, many leaders find themselves questioning: Are we still on track? In this timely and thought-provoking episode, Steve and Lee dive into why mid-year is the perfect moment to step back, reassess your goals, and ask the all-important question: Are these goals still relevant? They explore how to shift from reactive busyness to intentional leadership by focusing on what truly matters, your behaviors, your mindset, and how you use your time.

You’ll learn how to redefine success, eliminate the fluff, and make strategic adjustments that honor both your vision and your current reality. This isn't about doing more, it's about doing what actually moves the needle.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Why being "busy" doesn't equal being effective, and what to do about it
• The difference between goals and commitments, and why commitments drive results
• How to determine if a goal is still relevant mid-year (and what to change if it’s not)
• The “optimal vs. perfect” mindset shift that helps you make better decisions
• Why leadership without trust, of yourself and others, leads to stagnation
• How to involve your team in goal setting so they actually buy in
• A practical strategy for organizing your priorities using the “rocks, sand, and water” analogy
• What it means to lead from privilege, not pressure

🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned:

• Traction by Gino Wickman (Rocks metaphor)
• Simon Sinek & Adam Grant podcast references (on creativity & meeting design)
• Join the Founder’s Catalyst LinkedIn Community
• Lee Povey's Leadership Coaching
• Steve Mellor's Executive Coaching

Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. Stay tuned for more insights and discussions to help you thrive in both your personal and professional life.

Join Our LinkedIn Group!
Become a part of The Founders Catalyst, a free community for founders, start-up executives, and high achievers. Network, ask questions, and participate in our free monthly Zoom meetings. Connect with like-minded individuals and expand your professional circle. Join here.

Lee Povey and Steve Mellor are leadership coaches and hosts of The Founders Catalyst, a podcast dedicated to helping founders, executives, and rising leaders navigate the complexities of personal and professional growth. With decades of combined experience in elite sports, executive coaching, and team development, Lee and Steve offer real-world insights, sharp coaching tools, and thought-provoking conversations for the modern leader.

📝 Episode Summary: In this insightful and candid conversation, co-hosts Steve Mellor and Lee Povey unpack the hidden struggles of being a high performer in leadership. Drawing on personal stories, from elite sports to startup boardrooms, they reveal how their own perfectionism, drive, and “abnormal” standards shaped both their successes and their blind spots. Together, they explore the emotional disconnect many leaders feel when their vision isn’t shared, their intensity isn’t understood, and their expectations aren’t met.

If you've ever felt alone at the top, frustrated that others “just don’t get it,” or caught between your future self and your current reality, this one’s for you.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Why high performers often create a warped sense of “normal” that others can’t relate to
• The emotional cost of resilience, from pushing through injury to avoiding support
• How leadership can feel incredibly lonely, even in successful, growing organizations
• The danger of measuring yourself against an idealized future version of you
• Why your team doesn’t “get it” yet, and how to help them catch the vision
• How to balance big-picture ambition with clear communication and compassion
• What to ask yourself when you feel misunderstood or disconnected as a leader

🔗 Resources & Mentions:

💬 Join the Founders Catalyst Community on LinkedIn

🌐 Lee Povey’s Coaching & Leadership Work

🌐 Steve Mellor's Executive Coaching

If you found this episode relatable or valuable, share it with another leader or founder in your circle. Be sure to follow The Founder’s Catalyst on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. And if this hit home for you, leave us a quick review, it means the world and helps us reach more high-performers navigating the same challenges.

Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. Stay tuned for more insights and discussions to help you thrive in both your personal and professional life.

Join Our LinkedIn Group!
Become a part of The Founders Catalyst, a free community for founders, start-up executives, and high achievers. Network, ask questions, and participate in our free monthly Zoom meetings. Connect with like-minded individuals and expand your professional circle. Join here.