The Heart-led Leader
The Heart-Led Leader is a podcast for courageous souls who are ready to live and lead with authenticity, purpose, and joy.
Hosted by Melissa Thomson - Leadership & Transformation Coach, Speaker, and School Founder - this show shares powerful insights, inspiring guest conversations, and practical tools to help you
✨ignite your Inner Rebel - breaking free from outdated systems and structures,
✨cultivate courage for authentic expression,
✨lead a life aligned with your unique soul.
As the world rapidly changes, you’ll be inspired, uplifted and supported to embrace the most aligned version of you, for the greatest impact within your family, community and the world.
Episodes
25 episodes
One Step at a Time: Rising Into a Reimagined Life After Loss
In this powerful and deeply inspiring episode, Melissa welcomes Transformation Coach and Naturopath Cecilia Bailey to share her extraordinary story of overcoming adversity, rebuilding her life, and helping others navigate identity shifts...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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56:30
Money, Mindset & Magnetism: Empowering Women in Business
In this episode, Melissa is joined by Clare Wood, a Business Profit Coach and Money Mentor, to explore the powerful connection between financial clarity, mindset, and authentic leadership. From embracing your money story to...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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36:24
What My Horse Reminded Me About Boundaries, Connection and Leading with Integrity
Today’s episode dives into a powerful lesson I learned from my horse - how kindness without boundaries can create confusion, and why true leadership requires clarity, firmness, and courage.We explore the balance between connection and co...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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24:03
Emotional Agility: Leading with Calm and Clarity Under Pressure
Leadership isn’t about avoiding pressure - it’s about how you respond when it’s on. In this episode of The Heart-Led Leader, we explore what emotional agility truly means and how to cultivate it, even in high-stakes moments.<...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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20:30
The Power of Mentorship: Seeing the Leader Your Can Become
What if one person could see something in you that no one else could? Not your family, not your friends, not even you.What if that person held the vision for your potential so fiercely that it changed the trajectory of your life?<...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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16:05
When You Miss the Mark and Influence Isn’t Working: Reclaiming Inner Authority
If you’ve ever walked away from a meeting thinking, “I said the right things, so why didn’t they land?”- this episode is for you.In this short, powerful episode, we explore how true influence comes not from pushing harder, but from speak...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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8:09
Leadership Clarity Starts From Within: Stress Less Achieve More
If you’ve ever second-guessed yourself in high-stakes situations or walked away from a meeting thinking “I didn’t say what I really meant,” this episode is for you.True clarity in leadership doesn’t come from more data or better slides -...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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10:12
How You Breathe is How You Lead
Leadership isn’t just about strategy or confidence. It’s about your inner state. In this short and powerful episode, Melissa T shares the most overlooked leadership capacity: your ability to regulate your internal st...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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6:28
The Power of Presence : A Leadership Essential
True leadership begins with presence. In this episode I explore how cultivating presence-through awareness of breath, posture, tone and self-awareness - lays the foundation for deeper connection and real influence.I share how...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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14:46
When It's Hard to Get Up: Rituals That Carry Us Steady Through Life's Seasons
What if the things that make you feel good aren't just luxuries, but lifelines?In this episode I explore the quiet power of discipline in our well-being practices, especially during the hard seasons of life. From early mornin...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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11:46
Honouring the Masculine and Feminine: A Call for Inner Balance
In this solo episode, I explore the delicate and often misunderstood dance between masculine and feminine energies — within ourselves and in the world.We’re living through a powerful time of rising feminine empowerment, which is beautifu...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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20:57
Authentic Connection Starts Within: A Conversation on Self-Leadership and Presence
What if the key to deeper, more meaningful relationships begins with your connection to yourself?In this heart-opening conversation originally recorded for Thrive Again Relationship Podcast, I speak with hosts Michael and Am...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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48:48
Transforming Relationships: The Journey to Open-Hearted Connections
Whether you’re currently in a relationship or not, this conversation is a beautiful invitation into the deeper work of self-awareness and connection.In this heart-opening episode, I sit down with relationship coaches Michael and Amy
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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58:45
Communicating with Impact: Leading with Presence, Clarity & Courage
In this short, powerful episode, we explore what it truly means to communicate with impact - especially for senior and conscious leaders navigating high-stakes conversations and complex environments.Communication is more than just words....
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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12:47
The Power of Daily Intentions: The #1 Habit That Changes Everything
🎯What if one question could shift your whole day?In this short and powerful episode, I’m sharing what two recent guests - Aaron Schultz a men’s mental health advocate from The Outback Mind Foundation, and Mic...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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5:42
Be the Hero of Your Own Story: Intuition, Courage & Creative Expression with Shelley Davidow
In this heartfelt and inspiring conversation, Melissa speaks with Shelley Davidow -award winning author of 51 books, Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of the Sunshine Coast, and a passionate advocate for Steiner Education -&...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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42:43
From Burnout to Empowerment: Michelle Gordon’s Journey to Heart-Led Healing and Leadership
In this deeply inspiring episode of The Heart-Led Leader, Melissa sits down with Michelle Gordon - The Healthy Happy Nurse - a nurse, coach, and heart-centered leader who shares her powerful journey from burnout to deep s...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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35:51
Breaking the Silence: Aaron Schultz on Men’s Mental Health, Heart-Led Healing & Community Leadership
In this powerful episode of The Heart-Led Leader, Melissa speaks with Aaron Schultz - founder of The Outback Mind Foundation and long-time advocate for men’s mental health and heart-aligned living. ...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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54:40
From Frustration to Vision: Reclaiming Your Inner Guidance to Create Heart-led Change
In this episode, Melissa shares powerful insights and a timely message for heart-led leaders, changemakers and visionaries who are feeling the pressure of broken systems and a deep desire to create something new-but don't know how yet.
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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14:10
How to Get Out of Your Busy Mind and Into Your Heart Wisdom Through TImes of Creation & Uncertainty: Tools for Accessing Heart & Body Wisdom
The journey of creating the new can be vulnerable, challenging, frustrating, and can bring on all kinds of emotions, fears, self doubts and sabotaging thought processes. Whether you are stepping into a new relationship, job, business, cre...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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16:50
The Power of Joy: A Heart-led Strategy to Boost Creativity, Culture & Connection
Joy creates spaciousness, creativity and opportunity, and is an underrated leadership strategy. Joy unlocks new capacities. We have the power to intentionally create opportunities for joy - both for yourself and for oth...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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11:45
Trust Your Guiding Spirit: Overcoming Work & Family Challenges Through Heart & Soul Alignment
This episode is a copy of the interview I was grateful to have with Aaron Schultz from The Outback Mind Podcast. Aaron is doing incredible work in the space of Men's Mental Health, Domestic Violence and Suicide Prev...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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1:06:37
How to Ignite Your Inner Rebel & Lead with Courage (Even When It's Hard)
This episode supports you to find your own sense of self-leadership, exploring how to ignite the 'Inner Rebel' within you, to break free from fear, overwhelm and uncertainty.Your Inner Rebel is not just a disruptor for the sake of disrup...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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17:06
Foundations of Heart-led Leadership: Vision, Authenticity, Connection, Courage, Joy
In this episode I share a little about my experience of leading from the heart, and the qualities or capacities that emerged as being foundational when I reflect on the experiences of starting a school, building community, driving legislative r...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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15:16
The Heart-led Leader : Welcome & Why Self-Leadership Changes Everything
Welcome and thank you for being here. This episode is the first for the Heart-led Leader Podcast, and introduces you to the intention of the show, and what you can expect. I'd love to walk this journey with you, so stay ...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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3:39