.jpg)
The Merri-Cast
The Merri-Cast is for emerging leaders navigating the journey from self-doubt to self-belief.
Host Trevor Merriden - executive coach and author of The Confidence Shift - talks to leaders and entrepreneurs about the moments that tested their confidence and how they came through them. Honest, practical and deeply human conversations about what leadership really feels like.
Every episode explores one or more of the five themes at the heart of The Confidence Shift: curiosity, creativity, clarity, commitment and confidence. Whether you’re leading for the first time, struggling to believe in your own ability, or building something from scratch and wondering if you’re really ready - this podcast is for you.
The Merri-Cast
Alison Jones: ON The Power of Writing and Surviving the 3am Doubts
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
This week on The Merri-Cast, I’m joined by the fantastic Alison Jones — entrepreneur, publisher, author and coach.
Alison built her career in senior roles at Oxford University Press and Palgrave Macmillan before stepping away from corporate life to create Practical Inspiration Publishing – a business that deliberately broke the traditional publishing rulebook.
In this honest and wide-ranging conversation, we explore what it really means to go it alone – from those 3am doubts and cash-flow fears to building a sustainable, values-led and genuinely impactful business.
In this episode, Alison shares:
• Why writing is one of the most powerful thinking tools entrepreneurs can use
• How her definition of success has changed - and why clarity matters more than ambition
• Why most entrepreneurs underestimate the emotional side of starting a business
• How to turn expertise into a feasible and scalable enterprise
• The realities of cash flow and taking risks
We also discuss entrepreneurship in a world of AI disruption, why books and deep thinking still matter, and how resourcefulness is what really carries founders through.
If you’re thinking about starting a business, already in the thick of it, or questioning what success looks like for you, this episode is well worth a listen.
Alison Jones:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/the-alison-jones/
Practical Inspiration Publishing: https://practicalinspiration.com/
Podcast: https://extraordinarybusinessbooks.com/podcast-episodes/
Trevor:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevormerriden/
Merriborn: https://merriborn.co.uk/
Email: trevor.merriden@merribornmedia.co.uk
