People Pleaser Ash and dealing with Leadership Anxiety | Ep 23

In this episode, I’m talking about something I never thought I’d have to learn: how to be a leader. Not a corporate manager, not a clipboard-wielding supervisor… just a wedding florist who suddenly had people relying on her and absolutely no idea how to direct them.

For a long time, I felt like I was doing it all wrong. I hated the idea of telling people what to do, so I over-explained everything. I didn’t want to come across as bossy, so I softened all my instructions. And then I wondered why people didn’t know what I meant. Every drive home was a spiral: was I too much? Not enough? Did I make someone uncomfortable? Did I make sense at all?

It took one uncomfortable moment for me to realise the truth I’d been avoiding: I was the bottleneck. My team wasn’t confused because they were incapable. They were confused because I was trying to lead in a way that kept everyone comfortable… except myself.

So I started asking better questions. What would actually help my team do their best work? And what do I love or hate when I’m freelancing on someone else's wedding? From there, everything started to shift. I stopped trying to be liked and started trying to be clear. I stopped filling the silence with explanations and just said what needed to be said. And for the first time, leading a team didn’t feel heavy, it felt supportive, collaborative, and surprisingly simple.

This episode is the behind-the-scenes of that turning point: what changed, how I changed, and how it made every wedding week run smoother than ever.

If leadership has ever felt awkward, overwhelming, or just not your thing, I think you’ll feel really seen in this one.