In this podcast episode, host Rob Lawrence interviews Colin Tapscott, author of two books Everyday Alchemy: Transforming Your Trash into Treasure and Everyday People, Everyday Leaders.
Colin is an EMCC-accredited Senior Practitioner Coach, leadership trainer, speaker, and one of the coaches at BGCN.
Colin and Rob discuss the importance of self-awareness, reflection, and values-driven leadership for business owners. Colin shares practical frameworks for turning challenges into growth opportunities, building resilience, and fostering supportive business communities.
Colin teaches us the power of pausing and reflecting as key habits for personal and professional development, drawing from his own experiences and insights from his book.
The conversation offers actionable advice for leaders seeking to navigate setbacks, manage stress, and lead with authenticity and emotional intelligence.
In this episode, you'll learn:
Introduction & Colin’s Background (00:02:05)
Colin introduces himself, his coaching work, and his background as a head teacher and founder of Everyday Leader.
The Role of Self-Awareness in Leadership (00:02:58)
Colin talks about the importance of self-awareness, honest reflection, and emotional intelligence for business resilience.
Recognising and Managing Pressure (00:03:50)
Colin and Rob explore the pressures founders face, the impact of stress, and the need to notice emotional and physical cues.
Building Deliberate Reflection into Busy Schedules (00:05:11)
Colin shares practical advice on scheduling intentional reflection moments and being proactive about self-check-ins.
Practical Reflection Techniques (00:06:17)
Suggestions for simple reflection practices, such as body/emotion check-ins and reviewing daily experiences.
Intentional and Spontaneous Self-Reflection (00:07:38)
How to use reminders and triggers for reflection, and the value of spontaneous self-awareness during the day.
Developing a Resilient Mindset: Everyday Alchemy (00:08:27)
Introduction to Colin’s “Everyday Alchemy” model for transforming setbacks into opportunities through the pause, reflect, and respond model.
The Three-Step Alchemy Process (00:09:29)
Detailed explanation of pausing, reflecting (using the four W’s), and responding thoughtfully in challenging moments.
The Four W’s for Reflection (00:10:27)
Breakdown of the four W’s: What is needed, Who do I want to be, Which values guide me, and Where’s the treasure.
Applying Values in Decision-Making (00:11:14)
How to identify and use core values to guide actions, especially in uncertain or high-pressure situations.
Quick Reflection and Verification Before Responding (00:12:56)
Colin’s tips for rapid self-checks and using holding phrases to buy time before responding under pressure.
Understanding and Identifying Personal Values (00:15:17)
Colin offers guidance on discovering personal values and their importance in shaping business and personal decisions.
Values in Business and Team Culture (00:16:30)
How values influence business culture, team alignment, and responses to clients or challenging situations.
Empathy, Understanding, and Helping Others Transform (00:19:17)
Colin explains importance of empathy, understanding others, and the concept of paying forward what you’ve learned.
The Three Parts of Becoming an Everyday Alchemist (00:19:36)
Overview of the three stages: in-the-moment response, reviewing afterwards, and apprenticing others.
The Four Steps of Turning Trash into Treasure (00:22:25)
Colin provides an overview of the four-step review process: revisit, review, reframe, and rebuild after challenging events.
Revisiting and Reviewing Challenging Moments (00:22:49)
How to analyse situations by considering people, place, politics, and philosophy for a deeper understanding.
Ego, Eos, Omnia: Perspectives in Reflection (00:25:17)
Colin describes how to use different perspectives (self, others, all) to review and balance responsibility in challenging situations.
Reframing and Rebuilding After Setbacks (00:27:57)
Identifying what’s within your control, setting focused goals, and using setbacks as learning opportunities.
Personal Story: Learning from Failure (00:31:55)
Colin shares his own experience of a professional setback and how he used reflection and support to grow from that.
Questions for Turning Setbacks into Growth (00:33:59)
Colin shares key reflective questions to extract learning and value from difficult experiences.
The Importance of Asking for Help (00:36:41)
Colin encourages seeking support and recognising the value of community during challenging times.
Final Advice: Self-Understanding and Reducing Pressure (00:38:07)
Reiterating the importance of knowing your purpose and values, and seeing challenges as learning moments.
One Key Tip: Pause and Reflect (00:39:05)
Colin’s top advice to regularly pause and reflect; to foster personal and professional growth.
Recommended Resources (00:40:11)
Book and podcast recommendations for further learning on reflection, resilience, and leadership.
How to Connect with Colin (00:40:59)
Information on how you can contact Colin and access his resources.
About Colin:
Colin Tapscott is an EMCC-accredited Senior Practitioner Coach and leadership trainer, speaker, and author, and one of the coaches with BGCN. He was a headteacher for 17 years in Hertfordshire and Suffolk and now runs Everyday Leader, a leadership coaching and training organisation established to Inspire, Equip, and Empower everyday people to see themselves as leaders. At the heart of Colin’s coaching, training, writing, and podcasts is a simple but powerful belief: everyone has the potential to lead. Through his one-to-one coaching, workshops, and leadership programmes, he equips everyday people with the confidence, tools, and mindset to bring out the best in themselves and those around them. Colin is the author of two inspiring books, ‘Everyday Alchemy: Transforming Your Trash into Treasure’ and ‘Everyday People, Everyday Leaders’, and a regular conference speaker. He has a TEDTalk on leadership for children and designs and runs the ‘Leadership Lounge’ podcast.
Books mentioned in this episode:
Everyday Alchemy – Transforming Trash to Treasure by Colin Tapscott
Everyday People, Everyday Leaders by Colin Tapscott
Path Through the Jungle by Professor Steve Peters (Mentioned as a follow-up to "The Chimp Paradox")
The Chimp Paradox by Professor Steve Peters (Referenced as the original book preceding "Path Through the Jungle")
Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed (Recommended for its focus on reflection and learning from mistakes)
To learn more, head on over to:
www.everydayleader.co.uk
www.startbuildgrow.co.uk
