Couverture de Fiona Fraser – From Stuck to Unstuck: Leaving the Performance of Professionalism to Lead on Your Own Terms

Fiona Fraser – From Stuck to Unstuck: Leaving the Performance of Professionalism to Lead on Your Own Terms

Fiona Fraser – From Stuck to Unstuck: Leaving the Performance of Professionalism to Lead on Your Own Terms

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 What if the key to success wasn't fitting in—but finally giving yourself permission to stop trying? In this refreshingly raw episode of Legendary Leaders, host Cathleen O'Sullivan sits down with Fiona Fraser—founder of Power PR and former BBC publicist—whose unfiltered honesty about ADHD, identity, and the exhausting performance of "professionalism" will make you question everything you've been told about showing up. Fiona shares what it was like spending years learning to sit on her personality in corporate environments, the casual dinner party moment when two friends diagnosed her ADHD like it was obvious to everyone but her, and why she left TV during COVID to build her own agency. With trademark directness, she explains why she can't do small talk with senior executives when she's already defended their show all weekend, why anger was her go-to ADHD response, and why the spa isn't a luxury—it's nervous system regulation. Together, Cathleen and Fiona explore why "you're not sociable enough" often means "you didn't perform emotional labor we never asked for," the stop-and-drop cycle that leaves you sick on every holiday, and why Married at First Sight at 9pm might be the most important boundary you set. This conversation is for anyone who's ever felt like an alien in open-plan offices, been told to "try harder" with people who treat you terribly, or wondered if leaving corporate means failure—when really, staying stuck might be the only shame worth naming. Episode Timeline: 00:11:02 From BBC to 19 years in television publicity 00:12:52 COVID, motherhood, and leaving TV to build Power PR 00:18:07 The biggest shame isn't failure—it's staying stuck 00:21:21 Breaking free from "work hard" culture 00:27:19 Ambitious vs. too ambitious: fear vs. self-protection 00:32:13 Hiring an assistant and letting go of instant email responses 00:36:32 The casual dinner party ADHD diagnosis 00:38:12 Energy waves with ADHD: ride it or drown 00:41:09 Sensory overload: coughing, sneezing, and rage responses 00:47:24 Feeling like an alien and never quite fitting in 00:50:09 "I can't do small talk"—relationship building for the sake of it 00:53:17 "You didn't try hard enough" after defending their show all weekend 01:01:45 The unashamed ADHD leader who gets results 01:09:09 PR without selling your soul: controlling your message 01:18:38 Final insight: Get yourself unstuck as quickly as possible​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Key Takeaway: Staying Stuck Is the Real Shame—Not Changing Your Mind: Just because you've had success doesn't mean you can never change again. You can leave corporate, struggle, even go back—none of it is failure. The only shame is staying somewhere that drains you when your days are finite. If you're good, you'll get another job. If you feel stuck, get unstuck as quickly as possible. Boundaries Protect Your Energy—And Your Energy Determines Your Results: For Fiona with ADHD, energy comes in waves: 8-11am peak, 12-3pm crash, 4-6pm comeback. Working effectively means protecting those windows fiercely and accepting that if work doesn't happen during your peak, it won't happen. Boundaries aren't about being difficult—they're about understanding how you actually work and setting up your day so you can deliver. Whether it's hiring an assistant for email or taking Fridays (mostly) off, it's about giving clients better results by protecting what's finite. Recognizing Strengths Matters More Than Performative Relationships: Real leadership isn't about making people go to lunch with executives who treat them badly. It's understanding how your people work, what drives them, and what they're actually good at. Build teams around what clients need and who they'll work well with. When you respect people's strengths and working styles, you get loyalty and results—not resentment and burnout. Your Achievements Aren't Bragging—They're Taking a Moment to Actually See Yourself: When leaders can't recognize their own achievements, they create cultures where no one does. Sharing your story—the hard parts, the barriers you've overcome—isn't "too much information." It's what makes you human. Recognizing what you've created isn't arrogance. It's seeing yourself clearly instead of racing past your own life. About Fiona Fraser: Fiona Fraser is the Founder and Director of POW PR, the UK's leading podcast-focused public relations agency, where creators, production companies, and niche experts turn standout shows into chart-topping media brands. A former television publicist with over a decade in the industry, Fiona has led PR campaigns for the BBC, Channel 4, and global production companies including Warner Bros., Fremantle, and Endemol. Since launching POW PR in 2020, she has helped clients secure multiple No. 1 podcast chart positions and drive audience growth through strategy-led PR alone. Fiona believes podcasts aren't just content—they're powerful platforms for...
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