Uncomfortable Growth® Uncut playlist: Life behind leadership

At Uncomfortable Growth® Uncut, we strip away the polish and get honest about what growth really looks like—when it’s messy, uncertain, and deeply personal.

This podcast is unscripted, unrehearsed, and unfiltered. No talking points. No performance. Just real conversations about the moments that shape how we live, lead, and show up when life doesn’t go to plan.

We’ve curated a playlist, Life Behind Leadership, which focuses on a truth we don’t talk about enough: behind every leadership story is a family story.

These episodes explore how family challenges test our priorities, redefine success, and quietly shape the leaders we become, long before the job titles arrive.

Featured episodes

Aimee Buchanan – CEO, GroupM Australia & New Zealand Aimee shares the deeply personal experiences that forged her resilience, from losing her mother as a child to rising through one of the most demanding industries. Her story is a powerful reminder that strength often comes from the earliest, hardest moments—and that grief and ambition can coexist.

Sibon Schouten – CEO & Founder, Markd Global From growing up in a rural South African village to navigating identity, belonging, and family complexity in the UK, Sibon’s journey is one of self-discovery shaped by early family challenges. She speaks candidly about feeling like an outsider, meeting her father for the first time as an adult, and how discomfort became a catalyst for growth, leadership, and connection.

Jess White – CEO, Kinesso Jess opens up about carrying adult responsibilities as a child, caring for a sibling with a disability, grieving the loss of another, and learning to appear “fine” while quietly struggling. Her story explores the hidden cost of resilience, the breaking point that forced her to heal, and how vulnerability, therapy, and creativity reshaped her leadership style.

Your host

This playlist is hosted by Rowena Millward, global expert in growth and reinvention, consultant, speaker, mentor, and best-selling author of Uncomfortable Growth® – Own Your Reinvention. Rowena is known for delivering “accessible wisdom”, helping leaders turn trials into triumph, and life crossroads into meaningful next chapters.

If these conversations resonate, you can listen to the 🎧 full playlist on Spotify.

And if you navigate your own period of change or reinvention, 🌱 visit Rowena’s website to explore working together.

Because behind every leader is a real life, and that story can make a difference to many.

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