Self Leadership with Krystal Long

How often do we ask other people what we should do when, somewhere underneath all the noise, we already know what we think?
In this episode of Self Leadership with Krystal Long, I explore the difference between seeking perspective and handing our decisions over to somebody else.
We look at why reassurance can feel so tempting when a decision matters, how fear of “getting it wrong” can keep us going around in circles, and what it can mean to build greater trust in our own judgement.
I also share some practical coaching questions to help you explore a decision you may be facing, including:
• What do I already know?• What am I actually afraid of?• Whose opinion am I most worried about?• What information do I genuinely still need?• What would trusting myself even 10% more look like?
And we finish with a simple reflection exercise using three headings: What I Know, What I’m Afraid Of, and What I Want.
Because self-trust isn’t about knowing that every decision will work out perfectly. It’s about trusting that, whatever happens, you’ll be able to respond, learn and adjust.
🎧 Self Leadership with Krystal Long

Sometimes moving forward begins with coming back to yourself.
In this Sunday Reset Ritual, we slow things down and create a little space to reflect on the week that has passed and the one that lies ahead.
As the podcast moves into this new chapter of Self Leadership with Krystal Long, the Sunday Reset Rituals are evolving too, becoming a space not only to ask, “How am I feeling?” but also, “How am I leading myself?”
In this episode, I invite you to reflect on:
• What do I need to leave behind from this week?• What do I want to take forward?• What would leading myself well look like this week?• What is one small choice I can make that brings me closer to myself?
Self-leadership doesn’t always mean having everything figured out. Sometimes it means noticing what you need, recognising when something no longer fits, trusting what you’re learning about yourself, and taking the next right step.
Take a few quiet minutes for yourself, grab a journal if you’d like, or simply listen and reflect.
🎙️ Self Leadership with Krystal LongSunday Reset Rituals a quieter space for reflection, coaching questions, perspective, and a little breathing room before another week begins.

Season 3, Episode 1: What Does It Mean to Lead Yourself?
Welcome to Season 3 of Self Leadership with Krystal Long.
This season marks a new chapter for the podcast and in this opening episode, I explore what self-leadership actually means to me.
Self-leadership isn't about managing a team, holding a senior position or having everything figured out. It's about getting to know yourself well enough to make choices from a place of greater self-awareness, rather than constantly looking outside yourself for permission or reassurance.
In this episode, I reflect on the questions we often forget to ask ourselves when we're busy trying to do what we should be doing:
What do I actually want?
We explore self-trust, boundaries, changing direction, letting go of expectations and the idea that personal growth doesn't always have to mean becoming more.
Sometimes, growth can simply mean becoming more yourself.
I also introduce the new structure for Season 3, with a main self-leadership episode every second Wednesday followed by a shorter Sunday Reset Ritual giving you space not only to listen and learn, but to reflect on what these ideas might mean in your own life.
In this episode
What self-leadership means beyond traditional leadership
Making decisions from self-awareness rather than external validation
Asking yourself what you genuinely want
Why confidence and self-doubt can exist together
Recognising when something no longer feels right for you
Letting go of expectations that may not belong to you
Why personal growth isn't always about adding more
Creating space for reflection
Learning to trust your own judgement
A question to take with you
What would your life look like if you trusted yourself a little more?
Not completely. Not overnight.
Just a little more.
Would you say no to something?Would you finally say yes?Would you have a conversation you've been avoiding?Would you make a decision you've been putting off?Would you give yourself permission to rest?Or perhaps change direction?
You don't need to have the answer today. Just let the question sit with you.
Chapters
00:00 — Welcome to Season 301:36 — The idea of self-leadership02:13 — What self-leadership means to me03:43 — What do I actually want?05:34 — Growth doesn't always mean becoming more05:45 — Letting go as part of growth07:41 — What to expect from Season 309:24 — Creating space for reflection10:39 — What if you trusted yourself more?12:02 — Looking ahead to the season13:32 — A new chapter
Stay connected
If you'd like to come along for Season 3, follow or subscribe to Self Leadership with Krystal Long wherever you listen to your podcasts.
New main episodes will be released every second Wednesday, followed by a shorter Sunday Reset Ritual later that week.
If an episode makes you think of someone who might need to hear it, feel free to share it with them.
And if you're enjoying the podcast, a rating or review is always appreciated it helps more people discover the show.
Here's to trusting ourselves a little more, making choices that feel like our own, and discovering what it means to lead ourselves from the inside out.

In this episode of The Empowered Self Podcast, I’m joined by Claire Thompson, founder of The Kindred Connection, for a soulful and honest conversation about women’s connection, nature, embodiment, creativity and the journey of coming home to ourselves.
Claire shares her personal journey from the UK to Sicily, where she now lives surrounded by nature and a slower, more intentional way of life. She speaks beautifully about what it means to stop performing, take off the masks we wear, and begin listening to the quieter parts of ourselves again.
Together, we explore the importance of meaningful connection, emotional honesty, slowing down, nature as a source of reconnection, and the power of women gathering in spaces where they can be seen, heard and accepted without judgment.
This conversation is a gentle invitation to pause, breathe, and remember that you do not have to become someone new. Sometimes empowerment begins with remembering who you already are.
Connect with Claire:
Website: thekindredconnection.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Cw3n1Qv7A/
Keywords:Claire Thompson, The Kindred Connection, women’s connection, coming home to yourself, self-awareness, embodiment, nature, creativity, belonging, personal growth, wellbeing, empowerment, self-leadership, The Empowered Self Podcast.

Welcome back to The Empowered Self Podcast and to this week’s Sunday Reset Ritual.
Today’s episode is a special grounding practice shared by Lucy Bourke, yoga teacher and founder of Lotus with Lucy. Following on from Wednesday’s conversation with Lucy around yoga, grounding, wellbeing, and coming back to the body, Lucy has kindly shared a beautiful meditation in her own voice for this Sunday practice.
In this episode, Krystal also reflects on the idea of the Wellness Toolbox the simple, supportive practices we can reach for when we feel overwhelmed, disconnected, stressed, or in need of a reset. Sometimes our wellness tools are big things, but often they are small and accessible: a breath, a pause, a walk, a grounding practice, or a moment of stillness.
This meditation invites you to soften, breathe deeply, reconnect with your body, and return to the affirmation:
I am grounded. I am safe.
Please only take part if it feels right for you, and do not listen while driving or doing anything that requires your full attention.
A huge thank you to Lucy for sharing this beautiful grounding meditation with The Empowered Self Podcast community.
You can connect with Lucy here:
You can connect directly with Lucy Bourke on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lotuswithlucy?igsh=ZDB2ejFxazRvZDQw 
Email Lucy directly on Lotuswithlucy@gmail.com
Or visit Lucy’s Website LotuswithLucy | Yoga for everyone, Join Now https://share.google/uKNOBgKBK2aHXVexi  
Also, you can connect with The Empowered Self Podcast on Instagram @krystalempoweredself 
And if you haven’t already listened to Krystal’s full Wednesday episode with Lucy, you are warmly invited to go back and listen to their conversation around yoga, grounding, wellbeing, and coming back to yourself.
Be gentle with yourself, and thank you for joining this Sunday Reset Ritual.

In this grounding and thoughtful episode of The Empowered Self Podcast, Krystal Long is joined by Lucy Bourke, a yoga teacher from Cork, currently living in Barcelona.
Lucy shares her personal journey into yoga and meditation, from being introduced to yoga by her mum at a young age, to later reconnecting with the practice during a period of emotional overwhelm while living in London. What began as a weekly meditation class at a local Buddhist centre slowly became a powerful ritual for processing emotions, slowing down and finding steadiness within herself.
Lucy also reflects on her 200-hour yoga teacher training in India with Himalaya Yoga, where she came to understand yoga as something much bigger than physical movement. For Lucy, yoga is now a way of life, a practice of presence, breath, self-awareness, grounding and connection.
Together, Krystal and Lucy explore the importance of small daily rituals, grounding practices, emotional regulation, yoga as part of a wellness toolbox, and why yoga really is for everyone, regardless of age, flexibility or experience.
Lucy will also return for a Sunday Reset Ritual, where she guides listeners through a gentle grounding meditation to support calm, steadiness and reconnection.
You can connect directly with Lucy Bourke on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lotuswithlucy?igsh=ZDB2ejFxazRvZDQw 
Email Lucy directly on Lotuswithlucy@gmail.com
Or visit Lucy’s Website LotuswithLucy | Yoga for everyone, Join Now https://share.google/uKNOBgKBK2aHXVexi for further information 
 
Also you can connect with The Empowered Self Podcast on Instagram @krystalempoweredself 

In this Sunday Reset Ritual, Krystal Long invites you into a calming and deeply reflective pause to honour the path that has brought you here.
This episode is a gentle reminder that you are not starting from scratch. You are starting from lived experience, resilience, wisdom, and everything you have learned along the way.
Through mindful breathing, self-compassion, and reflective prompts, Krystal explores what it means to meet your past self with tenderness rather than criticism, to honour the quiet parts of your journey, and to trust the next step even when the full path is not yet clear.
This reset is an invitation to stop measuring yourself only by what is unfinished and instead recognise the courage already woven through your story.
Take what you need, leave what you don’t, and step gently into the week ahead.
Connect with the Podcast on Instagram @krystalempoweredself or connect with Krystal Long (Host) on LinkedIn, Krystal Long DTM.

In this insightful episode of The Empowered Self Podcast, Krystal Long is joined by executive and life coach, trainer, speaker and author James Sweetman for a rich and grounding conversation on heart-based goals, fulfilment, wellbeing and coming back to yourself.
James shares his perspective on the difference between achievement and fulfilment, and why traditional goal-setting does not always support our deeper sense of alignment or wellbeing. He introduces his HEART goals framework, goals that are in harmony with our values, energising, aligned, resonant or realistic, and thrilling.
Together, Krystal and James explore how goals can sometimes become tied to pressure, proving, performance or comparison, and how we can begin to reconnect with what feels true, meaningful and nourishing.
This conversation also touches on self-leadership, emotional awareness, nervous system safety, boundaries, self-compassion and practical wellbeing supports. James shares simple but powerful reflections, including the importance of relationships, rest, receiving support, responding rather than reacting, and his memorable phrase: “less screen, more green.”
If you have ever found yourself chasing goals that look right on paper but do not feel fully aligned inside, this episode is an invitation to pause, listen inward, and move from pressure into presence.
Resources / Connect with James
You can find out more about James Sweetman, his coaching, writing, workshops and resources through his website:
James Sweetman Websitehttps://jamessweetman.com/
You can also listen to James’s podcast, Your Time with James Sweetman, where he shares reflections, insights and practical wisdom on personal growth, self-leadership, fulfilment and living with greater clarity:
Your Time with James Sweetman Podcasthttps://www.podbean.com/pw/pbblog-rwrkx-4b7a40
James is also the author of SOAR: Powerful Questions That Will Transform Your Life, which is mentioned in this episode, and you can find on Jame's website.
Thank you for listening to The Empowered Self Podcast. If this episode resonated with you, please follow, subscribe, leave a review, or share it with someone who may be reflecting on their own goals, wellbeing or sense of fulfilment right now.

For Mental Health Awareness Month, this Sunday, Reset Ritual gently explores the Wellness Toolbox as a way to support our mental health in everyday life, not just when things reach crisis point. A pause to reflect on what helps you stay well, notice your early warning signs, and choose one small support before you hit empty.
Hosted by Krystal Long. Follow the podcast on Instagram at @KrystalEmpoweredSelf

In this episode of The Empowered Self Podcast, Krystal speaks with Kate MacDonald, an executive functioning coach with almost 15 years of experience in education. Together, they explore executive functioning, neurodiversity, self-advocacy, learning strategies, and the importance of creating supportive systems that help people feel capable, confident and understood.
In this episode, we explore:
What executive functioning is and how it shows up in daily life
Kate’s journey into education and executive functioning coaching
Neurodiversity, ADHD, autism and learning differences
Why self-advocacy matters
The role of coaching in building confidence and independence
How small, practical supports can make a big difference
Systemic challenges in education and support services
Universal design and why it benefits everyone
Connect with Kate MacDonald
Kate is the founder of MacDonald Coaching & Consulting, where she supports neurodiverse adolescents and adults with executive functioning and academic skills development. She also provides consulting and professional training in areas including exceptional education services, transition supports and higher education disability services.
Website: https://sites.google.com/view/macdonaldcoachingandconsulting/Email: macdonaldcoachingconsulting@gmail.comLinkedIn: Katherine MacDonald, Ed.D.
You can also follow the podcast on Instagram @krystalempoweredself