The Rebellious Leader®

Your website looks lovely, it's been live for months, and the phone still isn't ringing. Sound familiar?This week I'm joined by Sophie from The Marketing Launch Company, a website marketing strategist who has built and refreshed around 100 websites for small business owners. We talk about the gap between the DIY website and the expensive agency site, and what actually makes a website convert.In this episode:Why a website without a marketing strategy is just a brochure in a drawerWhat Sophie looks at first when she refreshes a websiteWhy no one reads your website copy, and what to do insteadWix vs Squarespace vs WordPress for SEOThe telltale signs a website was built with AIHow Sophie refreshes a website in two days, solo, around school hoursThe question to sit with: is your website bringing you enquiries, or is it a pretty brochure that nobody finds?Find Sophie at https://www.themarketinglaunch.co.uk and on Instagram at @marketinglaunchcompany. Come and tell me what you're changing on your website on Instagram @mills_gray, and grab my book, The Rebellious Leader.

What happens when a slightly unhinged idea scribbled in a notebook turns into an actual business event for 80 women?In this behind-the-scenes episode, I take you inside the very early days of The Rebellion, my new in-person event for women in business who are done being told what success should look like. No parade of 100K-month speakers. Conversations, panels where people disagree, breathwork, laughter and women leaving clear about what they actually want.In this episode:How my book launch led to the ideaThe notebook page where I wrote "The Rebellion" and then "80"Why around 40 people joined the waitlist before there was a date or venueWhat I've booked so far and what I'm still figuring outThe imposter syndrome that turned up when I decided on 80 womenWhy giving yourself space to think is where big ideas come fromThe question to sit with: how much of your ambition is actually yours?Join The Rebellion waitlist for first access at https://millsgray.kartra.com/page/TherebellionWL and tell me your audacious goal on Instagram @mills_gray. More at www.millsgray.com.

Have you ever received an email, a piece of client feedback or even a simple “I can’t afford it” and felt your whole body react before your brain has had a chance to catch up?Your chest goes prickly. Your stomach drops. You replay the conversation. You start questioning your pricing, your offer, your decisions, maybe your entire bloody business.But does the size of your reaction actually tell you the size of the problem?In this episode of The Rebellious Leader, I’m exploring what happens when someone else’s reaction becomes evidence about us, and what happens when our emotional response starts making business decisions.I share a personal story about receiving a refund request from a former client 18 months after we'd finished working together, despite having ended on good terms and achieved strong results together.My immediate response wasn't calm, strategic consideration.It was:“Oh my God. What have I done wrong?”And that distinction matters.Because there was a business situation to deal with.And there was my emotional reaction to it.They weren't the same problem.We’ll look at why a client saying “I can't afford it” can lead us to add more to an already good offer, why one no can suddenly have us questioning our entire business, and how our attempts to avoid rejection, criticism or disappointment can quietly start shaping our strategy.I also share a recent client example where being challenged created a huge physical and emotional response, even though once we'd examined what had happened, she still stood by the decision she'd made.The goal wasn't to make her stop caring.It was to help her find a more neutral place where she could check the feedback, take responsibility for anything that genuinely belonged to her, and leave the rest.Because taking someone seriously doesn't require you to agree with them.Topics covered:Why someone else’s reaction is information, not proof that you’ve done something wrongHow criticism, rejection and client feedback can trigger disproportionate emotional reactionsWhy “I can’t afford it” doesn’t automatically mean your pricing is wrongHow feelings can quietly start shaping your offers, messaging and strategyTaking feedback without automatically adopting someone else’s version of eventsA five-question Rebellious Leader Audit to help you decide from evidence rather than reactionLet’s Connect:Come say hi on Instagram: @mills_grayWebsite: https://www.millsgray.comThe Rebellious Leader Book: https://www.millsgray.com/book/Lucy Legal: Contract templates for business owners

What if you've correctly identified the problem in your business… but you're trying to solve it in completely the wrong place?You know sales are inconsistent, content isn't happening, your team relies on you too much or your boundaries aren't working. So you try another strategy, a better system or stronger boundaries.And yet somehow, the problem is still bloody there.In this episode of The Rebellious Leader, I'm exploring a different question: Where does this problem actually live?Using the NLP model of Neurological Levels, I look at six places a business problem can exist: environment, behaviour, capability, beliefs and values, identity, and purpose.Being inconsistent with content could mean you don't have time, you don't know how to create it, or you believe talking about your success makes you look boastful. Same problem on the surface. Very different problem underneath.We'll explore why another content strategy won't fix a visibility belief, how a boundary problem can actually be structural, and why deeper mindset work isn't automatically better.You can't choose the right intervention until you've diagnosed the problem.Let's Connect:Come say hi on Instagram: @mills_grayWebsite: https://www.millsgray.comThe Rebellious Leader Book: https://www.millsgray.com/book/

If Instagram feels like a beast you can't control, this episode is going to change that. I'm joined by Claire, founder of Studio 5 Social, who's spent years helping business owners get seen and get sales on Instagram without the overwhelm. We get into the four biggest mistakes she sees over and over, why chasing virality can actually wreck your business, the trend she was doing before anyone else, and the one thing about your Instagram audience that most people don't realise until it's too late.Key Topics CoveredIn this conversation with Instagram strategist Claire from Studio 5 Social, we cover:The four biggest Instagram mistakes business owners make and how to fix themWhy the algorithm isn't a beast, it just needs to be taughtHow to know if your content strategy is actually working, beyond likes and followersWhy going viral can be the worst thing that happens to your businessHow to get comfortable on camera when you hate being on cameraWhy you don't actually own your Instagram audience, and what to do about itA breakdown of her offers, including the one she'd "marry" and the one she'd ditchConnect With Claire, Studio 5 SocialInstagram: @studio5social (DMs are her happy place)Email: [email protected], also available for enquiriesWebsite: studio5social.co.ukLet's Connect:Come say hi on Instagram: @mills_gray Website: https://www.millsgray.comThe Rebellious Leader Book: https://www.millsgray.com/book/