I Was Taught to Please, Not to Lead | Clem Schoutenden on Leaving the Expected Path

I Was Taught to Please, Not to Lead | Clem Schoutenden on Leaving the Expected Path

Clem Schoutenden began her career in genetics research — on a path that is demanding, defined, and difficult to leave. Raised in France, she also grew up within a set of expectations about what a successful life looks like, and how a woman is expected to behave within it. She went on to a high-status corporate role. And still, something didn’t fit. Clem left both to build a business of her own — starting from something small and uncertain, now far beyond what she first imagined. In this conversation, she reflects on what it takes to step away from paths that make sense on paper, and the quieter challenge of unlearning the instinct to please. We talk about: 1. leaving a career in genetics, and the weight of walking away 2. the tension between expectation and instinct 3. building a business before it looks like success 4. why ambition is still something women are asked to justify 5. and the moment she stopped waiting for permission A conversation about leadership, identity, and what happens when you choose your own direction. 🎧 Catch the full episode on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, or Amazon, just search “Tell Beyond Podcast.” Listen & Connect: 🎧 Full episode: https://www.sell-beyond.com/tell-beyond 🎙️ More episodes of Tell Beyond: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEZEJAVAHhXn1Abg8CdiXblO6odiR9LMx If you're new to the show, welcome. We're so glad you're here. Find us and follow us on LinkedIn: / https://www.linkedin.com/in/heloisefb/ Instagram: / heloisefinch_sellbeyond TikTok: / heloise.finch Facebook: / Sell Beyond Website: / https://www.sell-beyond.com/tell-beyond Credits Host: Dr Heloise Finch Our email address is tellbeyond@sell-beyond.com Listen on: Apple podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tell-beyond-with-heloise-finch/id1845135397 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/68N9bMDmR5dzH5l1QzW3wA Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/f302b1ef-c161-4868-a7d6-e8630be2b20d/tell-beyond-with-heloise-finch [https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/f302b1ef-c161-4868-a7d6-e8630be2b20d/tell-beyond-with-heloise-finch]

From Outsider to Change-Maker: Sara Wajid on Power, Belonging and Leadership

What does it take to move from outsider to leader? In this episode of Tell Beyond, Sara Wajid MBE reflects on growing up as the only non-white family on her street, learning early how to read a room, and understanding what it means to belong. Or not. She shares how those early experiences shaped her instinct to question systems, build alliances, and eventually step into positions of real influence as co-CEO of Birmingham Museums Trust. This is a conversation about power: who has it, who doesn’t, and what happens when you decide to use yours differently. Sara talks about: 1. Growing up between cultures and learning to translate the world 2. The emotional cost of being “the only one” in the room 3. Activism as care, not confrontation 4. Leading during uncertainty, and when there is no clear plan 5. Building movements like Museum Detox and creating space for others 6. Holding authority without losing empathy She reflects on the tension between politeness and truth, between fitting in and speaking up, and what changes when you stop asking permission. At its heart, this episode asks: Who gets to tell the story? And what happens when the outsider becomes the one holding the microphone? A thoughtful, honest conversation about belonging, responsibility, and becoming the kind of leader you once searched for. 🎧 Catch the full episode on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, or Amazon, just search “Tell Beyond Podcast.” Listen & Connect: 🎧 Full episode: https://www.sell-beyond.com/tell-beyond [https://www.sell-beyond.com/tell-beyond] 🎙️ More episodes of Tell Beyond: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEZEJAVAHhXn1Abg8CdiXblO6odiR9LMx [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEZEJAVAHhXn1Abg8CdiXblO6odiR9LMx] If you're new to the show, welcome. We're so glad you're here. Find us and follow us on LinkedIn: / https://www.linkedin.com/in/heloisefb/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/heloisefb/] Instagram: / heloisefinch_sellbeyond TikTok: / heloise.finch [https://heloise.finch/] Facebook: / Sell Beyond Website: / https://www.sell-beyond.com/tell-beyond [https://www.sell-beyond.com/tell-beyond] Credits Host: Dr Heloise Finch Our email address is tellbeyond@sell-beyond.com [https://tellbeyond@sell-beyond.com/] Listen on: Apple podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tell-beyond-with-heloise-finch/id1845135397 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tell-beyond-with-heloise-finch/id1845135397] Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/68N9bMDmR5dzH5l1QzW3wA [https://open.spotify.com/show/68N9bMDmR5dzH5l1QzW3wA] Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/f302b1ef-c161-4868-a7d6-e8630be2b20d/tell-beyond-with-heloise-finch [https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/f302b1ef-c161-4868-a7d6-e8630be2b20d/tell-beyond-with-heloise-finch]

Kav Tanna: Raised to Be Safe, Wired to Take Risks

On Tell Beyond, presenter Heloise Finch speaks with Kav Tanna, founder of Discount Fabrics, about the tension between security and ambition — and what happens when those forces collide.  Kav grew up in a British Asian family shaped by stories of displacement, survival and starting again. His parents arrived in the UK after being forced to leave East Africa, carrying a deep belief in safety, stability and hard work. That history shaped how Kav understands money and responsibility — but it also created a quiet inner conflict. While he was raised to avoid risk, he has always felt drawn to it.  After qualifying as an accountant and building a successful corporate career, Kav chose to step away. Not out of rebellion, but out of restlessness. What followed was the challenge of building a business alongside a father who had earned security the hard way, while learning to trust his own appetite for risk, decision-making and independence.  This is a conversation about inheritance that goes beyond money.  About how survival instincts are passed down through generations.  About the unspoken emotional weight inside family businesses.  And about why choosing uncertainty can feel both freeing and frightening when you know what your parents endured to create safety.  In this episode, we explore:  * Growing up British Asian with survival woven into everyday thinking  * Why security and entrepreneurship often pull in opposite directions  * The hidden emotional dynamics of working in and alongside a family business  * Money as protection, pressure and possibility  * Learning when inherited rules still serve you — and when they quietly hold you back  This episode is for you if:  * You’ve ever felt grateful and restless at the same time  * You were raised to value stability but feel drawn to risk, change or ownership  * You’re navigating family expectations, cultural inheritance or generational pressure  * You’re trying to honour where you come from while choosing what comes next  🎧 Catch the full episode on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, or Amazon, just search “Tell Beyond Podcast.”   Listen & Connect:   🎧 Full episode: https://www.sell-beyond.com/tell-beyond   🎙️ More episodes of Tell Beyond: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEZEJAVAHhXn1Abg8CdiXblO6odiR9LMx   If you're new to the show, welcome. We're so glad you're here. Find us and follow us on   LinkedIn: / https://www.linkedin.com/in/heloisefb/   Instagram: / heloisefinch_sellbeyond   TikTok: / heloise.finch   Facebook: / Sell Beyond   Website: / https://www.sell-beyond.com/tell-beyond   Credits Host: Dr Heloise Finch   Guest: Kav Tanna (CEO, Discount Fabrics)   Email: tellbeyond@sell-beyond.com   Listen on:   Apple podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tell-beyond-with-heloise-finch/id1845135397   Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/68N9bMDmR5dzH5l1QzW3wA   Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/f302b1ef-c161-4868-a7d6-e8630be2b20d/tell-beyond-with-heloise-finch

Mark Todd: From Courtroom to Coastline ... and Why He Never Went Back

What happens when the life you planned no longer fits?  Mark Todd’s story begins in hospital corridors. Born with scoliosis, he missed school, endured painful surgeries, and was once laughed at for daring to imagine university. Against the odds, he became a solicitor. But something still felt unfinished.  So Mark did something quietly radical. He left the courtroom for the coast.  Today, Mark is CEO of Ocean Youth Trust South, Chair of the Association of Sail Training Organisations, and an MBE for services to sailing and young people. In this deeply human conversation, he shares how the sea became his teacher, and how adventure can become a lifeline for those who feel they don’t quite fit.  With warmth, humour and honesty, Mark reflects on:  * Growing up with a visible difference and learning resilience early  * Being underestimated and deciding not to accept it  * The moment he realised law - a respectable, hard-won career - still wasn’t enough  * How sailing creates space for young people to discover who they really are  * Why challenge, nature and teamwork can change the course of a life  * What it feels like to be recognised with an MBE, and why it’s only “level one”  This episode explores what happens when the life you worked so hard to build no longer feels like home, and how freedom can be found in unexpected places, far beyond classrooms through taking people and outside their comfort zones.   It’s for anyone who’s built a life that looks “right,” yet hears a small, stubborn voice wondering what might happen if they followed something braver.  Listen & Connect  🎧 Full episode: https://www.sell-beyond.com/tell-beyond [https://www.sell-beyond.com/tell-beyond]  🎙️ More episodes: Tell Beyond Podcast with Dr Heloise Finch    Follow Tell Beyond  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heloisefb [https://www.linkedin.com/in/heloisefb]  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heloisefinch_sellbeyond [https://www.instagram.com/heloisefinch_sellbeyond]  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@heloise.finch [https://www.tiktok.com/@heloise.finch]  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SellBeyond [https://www.facebook.com/SellBeyond]    Credits  Host: Dr Heloise Finch  Guest: Mark Todd, MBE (CEO, Ocean Youth Trust South)  Email: tellbeyond@sell-beyond.com [tellbeyond@sell-beyond.com]

Nina Metson : When Grief Gave Me Courage

In this episode of Tell Beyond, Heloise Finch talks to Nina Metson, whose life has taken her from a childhood spent in her parents’ lively hair salon to a career across journalism, marketing and HR. After losing her mother, Nina found a new kind of clarity: the kind that makes fear feel smaller and bravery feel possible. So when her mentor unexpectedly offered her the chance to buy the business she worked for, she said yes before she had time to talk herself out of it. Nina shares how grief reshaped her courage, why she spent years hiding her own brilliance, and what it took to finally step forward. From the legacy of her parents’ business to the moment she realised she'd had enough of playing small, this is a story about loss, grit and the power of saying yes when life opens a door. 🎧 Catch the full episode on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, or Amazon, just search “Tell Beyond Podcast.” Listen & Connect: 🎧 Full episode: https://www.sell-beyond.com/tell-beyond [https://www.sell-beyond.com/tell-beyond] 📸 Follow Nina Metson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nina-metson/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nina-metson/] 🎙️ More episodes of Tell Beyond: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEZEJAVAHhXn1Abg8CdiXblO6odiR9LMx [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEZEJAVAHhXn1Abg8CdiXblO6odiR9LMx] 🔖 Hashtags: #TellBeyond #WomenInBusiness #FemaleEntrepreneur #GriefAndGrowth #FindingCourage #BraveryOverFear #LeadershipJourney #CareerTransformation #InspirationalStories If you're new to the show, welcome. We're so glad you're here. Find us and follow us on LinkedIn: / https://www.linkedin.com/in/heloisefb/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/heloisefb/] Instagram: / heloisefinch_sellbeyond TikTok: / heloise.finch [https://heloise.finch/] Facebook: / Sell Beyond Website: / https://www.sell-beyond.com/tell-beyond [https://www.sell-beyond.com/tell-beyond] Credits Host: Dr Heloise Finch Our email address is tellbeyond@sell-beyond.com [https://tellbeyond@sell-beyond.com/] Listen on: Apple podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tell-beyond-with-heloise-finch/id1845135397 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tell-beyond-with-heloise-finch/id1845135397] Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/68N9bMDmR5dzH5l1QzW3wA [https://open.spotify.com/show/68N9bMDmR5dzH5l1QzW3wA] Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/f302b1ef-c161-4868-a7d6-e8630be2b20d/tell-beyond-with-heloise-finch [https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/f302b1ef-c161-4868-a7d6-e8630be2b20d/tell-beyond-with-heloise-finch]