Entrepreneurship can be exhilarating, but it’s often emotionally demanding, isolating and mentally exhausting. This session pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to build and scale a business without losing yourself along the way.
Through open, honest conversation with founders and coaches, we’ll explore the mindset shifts, leadership habits and personal resilience needed for sustainable growth. From navigating burnout, imposter syndrome and failure, to leading with clarity through chaos, you’ll hear real stories and gain practical tools to stay grounded, focused and true to your values. Whether you’re just starting out or scaling fast, this is a space to reconnect with your purpose, challenge toxic startup culture and walk away with renewed energy and insight for the journey ahead.
Meet the panel:
Claire Koryczan is an award-nominated leadership expert with over 25 years of experience spanning creative agencies, technology, innovation, and HR. Her approach blends coaching with strategic insight, enabling leaders to navigate complexity and unlock meaningful change. Recognised globally, she’s been shortlisted for Best Business Coach by the Coach Awards, named a Top Team Leadership Voice on LinkedIn, and featured in SohoWorks’ Future50 and Grant Thornton’s Faces of a Vibrant Economy.
Kit James is the founder of Kit James Coaching, a private practice working with ambitious individuals who’ve hit the traditional markers of success, yet find themselves questioning ‘what next?’ His clients are high-achieving and often in positions of influence, yet beneath the external milestones lies a deeper search for clarity, meaning, and legacy.Kit’s approach is personal and instinctive. It’s shaped by his own decision to walk away from the expected path and define success on his own terms. He brings challenge, sharp perspective, and real precision to the process, helping clients cut through noise, confront difficult truths, and move forward with purpose.
Jen Smith’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2009, driven by a desire for flexibility and creativity after becoming a parent, and soon evolved into a successful digital marketing agency. Recognised as one of the Top 100 women leaders in business in 2021, she pivoted in 2023 to become an accredited Executive Coach and Mentor, combining her creativity, business acumen and lived experience of physical disabilities, ADHD and Autism to champion inclusion, accessibility and neurodiversity. Known as ‘The Curious Mentor,’ Jen draws on practical neuroscience, coaching techniques and her ILM Level 7 studies in Coaching Supervision to support a wide range of clients, particularly neurodivergent individuals. She collaborates with Small Business Britain on initiatives including The Lilac Review and The Maple Review, and was shortlisted for The Small Awards in 2023.