C is for Change

Lucia Paredes - Coaching with Lucia

I'm your host, Lucia. Multi-passionate marketeer turned career happiness coach. With 20+ years in global marketing and a rich background in Positive Psychology, Science of Wellbeing and Presence-based coaching, I help people thrive through change. One thing we all struggle with? Change. And the one thing sure to happen? Change! In each episode I’m joined by inspiring guests to unpack how they’ve navigated life's twists, journeys full of highs and lows, u-turns, uncertainty... but also beautiful surprises, growth and laughter. Thanks for tuning in...now, go hug a curveball today! Lucia x

  1. 06. Reframing the narrative: Leadership, Inclusion and Creative with Kahvan Bryan

    1 MAR

    06. Reframing the narrative: Leadership, Inclusion and Creative with Kahvan Bryan

    This week we are joined by Kahvan Bryan.   Kahvan is an award-winning higher education professional who is passionate about influencing change in education and wider society.   With a passion for content, Kahvan is a founder of the akhi&saltfish Digital Network, and has hosted over 100 podcasts on his interests including music, combat sports and important stories ranging from wellbeing, history, art, education, grief and everything in between.   In addition to this work, Kahvan is a trustee for Young Trustees Movement and would encourage anyone interested in keep update his progress to connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kahvanbryan/   During our chat Kavan shared his personal journey, overcoming medical diagnosis, discussing how he has adapted to various challenges throughout his life and emphasized the importance of resilience and identity formation.    Our conversation explored themes of agency and decision-making, particularly in medical and professional contexts, while highlighting the value of taking action despite uncertainty, and the importance of doing so with mindset, self-belief and authenticity.    ·       Kavan's journey of resilience: overcoming a medical diagnosis is not always easy, as it isn’t defying doctor’s orders… but Kahvan does not just sit around and does as he’s told. No. Kahvan listens, researches, makes his own decisions and proceeds! Agency, authenticity, understanding yourself and what’s possible for you.    ·       Teaching: from Kahvan’s decision to become a teacher in China to our shared path in higher education – adaptability, positivity (seeing the world for what it has to offer)… Kahvan’s zest and passion drive and shape how he approaches life, and how these influence his job and projects.    ·       Mindset and success strategies: practice makes progress. Consistent action leads to progress, taking steps forward that will take you closer to where you want to be. It is not about big bold moves (or not always!), but showing up daily and aligning your steps with your goals. And sometimes, like Kahvan, documenting your journey! So you can keep track of how far you’ve come, review the challenges and successes and keep yourself accountable.    ·       Multi-passionate: Kahvan is a regarded professional in higher education, making waves in the access and participation space, but he is also a podcaster, speaker, content creator, trustee… we spoke about one of his projects, Project Mind, a social enterprise created in collaboration with Young Enterprise, and reflected on his approach to leadership and vision evolution - and how his many hats serve and help different purposes.    Kahvan what a pleasure and inspiration it was to have you!. Thank you again.  If you want to connect with Kahvan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kahvanbryan/   To connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucia-paredes-suanzes/ https://www.coachingwithlucia.com https://www.instagram.com/coachingwithlucia/ lucia@coachingwithlucia.com   Follow us on: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/c_is_for_change/⁠⁠   Music from Soundstripe: Our Way, by Luke Bergs and Markvards.

    59 min
  2. 05. Hello from the other side with Alison Stead

    15 FEB

    05. Hello from the other side with Alison Stead

    This week we are joined by the wonderful Alison Stead, an ethical, responsible and professional Spiritual Medium   Alison was aware very early on of her talents, but pushed it back and tried to ignore them, until it was impossible (something I believe we can all relate to!). From inviting her “invisible friend” to lunch, to establishing connections to help heal people on both sides, to writing books and counselling!   Needless to say a conversation with Alison is never dull, not only because of the magnificent stories she shares, but because of her witty, kind, nurturing nature.  We spoke about spiritual communication, the nature of intuition, embracing one’s purpose, and what horror / thriller films may be getting wrong!    During our chat we discussed:   ·      A Medium's Journey: Alison shared her early encounters with spirit friends and her powerful experience at her grandfather's deathbed, which led her to explore mediumship and spiritual beliefs. She described how these experiences shaped her understanding of life and death, and how she now uses her abilities to provide comfort and guidance to others.   ·      Embracing Equality and Open Dialogue: Alison shared her experience of learning from a spiritual perspective to see people as equals beyond their roles or titles, which has influenced her approach to respecting all individuals. Lucia agreed and discussed a study mentioned in Dr. Laurie Santos's podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos/id1474245040 ) about the importance of understanding different perspectives through open dialogue, rather than judgment. They both expressed frustration over societal divisions and lack of mutual understanding, emphasizing the need for unconditional positive regard and collaborative conversations to address conflicts.   ·      Normalizing Spirit Communication: Alison shared her journey of discovering and embracing mediumship, emphasizing her mission to normalize and make it more accessible. She discussed how societal openness to spirituality has grown over the years, citing examples like Dr. Tyler Swatt's work on signs from the other side. We explored the distinction between coincidences and spirit communications, with Alison explaining that repeated occurrences or messages in unusual contexts are often spiritual.    ·      Intuition and the Body's Brains: what is the nature of intuition and how it connects to the body's three brains? (the head, heart, and gut). Intuition works as an inner pendulum that provides immediate guidance, though this can sometimes be overshadowed by cognitive thinking. Learning to trust and distinguish between different types of intuitive signals is important, as the gut brain holds significant information that can sometimes conflict with or complement the brain's decisions. ·      Embracing Purpose Through Intuition: Alison shared her experience of gradually accepting her role as a medium, emphasizing the importance of knowing one's truth rather than just believing in it. She highlighted the significance of intuition and the often unexpected path to finding one's life's work.    Ali, what a pleasure it was to have you!. Thank you again.  If you want to connect with Alison https://www.alisonstead-medium.co.uk https://www.instagram.com/alisonstead_medium.and.author/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisonstead-spiritualmedium/   To connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucia-paredes-suanzes/ https://www.coachingwithlucia.com https://www.instagram.com/coachingwithlucia/ lucia@coachingwithlucia.com   Follow us on: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/c_is_for_change/⁠⁠   Music from Soundstripe: Our Way, by Luke Bergs and Markvards.

    1h 11m
  3. 04. Cuando el zapato no encaja con Laura Agustin

    1 FEB

    04. Cuando el zapato no encaja con Laura Agustin

    Hoy nos acompaña Laura Agustín.  Tengo el placer de conocer a Laura desde hace mas de 20 años. Compañeras de carrera, de tablas, de industria… y amigas. Y creo que esas son las palabras que mejor la describen: compañera y amiga.  Laura es una persona con la que puedes contar, divertida, inteligente, creativa, sorprendente… una crack básicamente, por eso es un placer charlar con ella y compartir parte de su historia.  Charlamos sobre la vida, el trabajo, las decisiones y el impacto de ellas. Pero también sobre la importancia de no abandonarse, de explorar, de crear y creer. En todos los ámbitos.  Durante nuestra conversación hablamos de: 1.     Transición, cambio y creatividad: de España a Inglaterra, pasando por EEUU… de Entretenimiento (¡más de 20 años en Disney!) a la educación… y esa llamada al mundo creativo, que explora por muchos medios – pintura, escritura.. ¿habéis oído hablar de Rosa Pina? No? Pues os invito a seguir su cuenta en Insta: https://www.instagram.com/rosapinalondon/ y sus increíbles relatos y pensamientos en Substack: https://laguspe.substack.com 2.     Dudas, y desarrollo personal: de donde viene la inspiración, ¿somos creativos por naturaleza?, ¿es algo con lo que se nace o se hace? Como profesionales del mundo creativo Laura y yo compartimos las dudas que a veces se generan en el desarrollo de ideas, crecimiento profesional (y personal) y cómo alimentar y escucharlas.  3.     Prisioneros del pasado y el futuro: el miedo a cambiar y / o repetir errores. Puede ayudarnos a avanzar y tomar decisiones, o paralizarnos y quedarnos estancados… lo que si nos queda claro es que las circunstancias y prioridades cambian a lo largo del tiempo, que nada es realmente irreversible.  4.     Brújula interna: o como el zapato de Cenicienta, ¿qué pasa cuando intentamos encajar donde no pertenecemos?  ¡Gracias por pasarte por Con C de Cambio Laura!!   ¿Quieres conectar con Laura? https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraagustin/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosapinalondon/ Substack: https://laguspe.substack.com   Conecta conmigo: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucia-paredes-suanzes/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.coachingwithlucia.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/coachingwithlucia/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠lucia@coachingwithlucia.com⁠⁠   Síguenos en: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/c_is_for_change/⁠⁠   Música de Soundstripe: Our Way, de Luke Bergs y Markvards.

    49 min
  4. 02. Diseña tu año con Lucia Paredes

    18 JAN

    02. Diseña tu año con Lucia Paredes

    ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! 2026… guau! Nuevo año, un folio en blanco y la oportunidad de crear y hacer este año lo que tu quiera que sea.  Si, si, ¡has leído bien! En este episodio te comparto 3 técnicas / ejercicios para que así sea. Y como siempre, si necesitas ayuda con cualquiera de ellas, o quieres charlar, aquí me tienes: lucia@coachingwitlucia.com 1.     Empieza con el POR QUÉ: alguna vez has puesto cosas en esa lista de objetivos / intenciones para luego darte cuenta de que no los cumple un par de días después… Bienvenido al club! A mi también me paso, hasta que descubrí que el motivo por el que estos objetivos estaban en la lista tenia mas importancia de la que yo creía…  a.     Échale un vistazo al trabajo de Simon Sinek:         i.      TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9qKyX9NiTs      ii.     Libro: https://amzn.eu/d/0ORDaHZ 2.     Poquito a poco: tomar pequeños pasos (atómicos incluso) importa, y mucho. Instaurar nuevos hábitos es mas difícil de lo que creemos, y frecuentemente restamos importancia a lo que realmente aporta tomar estos pequeños pasos. Aquí reside la clave de conseguir lo que nos proponemos. a.     Échale un vistazo al trabajo de James Clear:              i.     Libro: https://amzn.eu/d/aKniT1E             ii.     Pagina web: https://jamesclear.com 3.     Ponte en marcha: quizá hayas oído los términos manifestar y tablero de visión, yo no soy muy fan de ellos, pero si so fan de los Tableros de Acción, ¡un método científico que explica por que la manifestación y su visualización funcionan! Te vienen de la mano de la Doctora Tara Swart.  a.     Échale un vistazo al trabajo de Tara Swart:           i.     Libro: https://amzn.eu/d/d7wUhPw          ii.     Página Web: https://www.taraswart.com Y si quieres charlar de cualquiera de estas cosas, incluido el taller de Tableros de Acción o trabajar juntos, escríbeme: lucia@coachingwithlucia.com Un abrazo,  Lucia    Conecta conmigo: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucia-paredes-suanzes/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.coachingwithlucia.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/coachingwithlucia/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠lucia@coachingwithlucia.com⁠⁠   Síguenos en: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/c_is_for_change/⁠⁠   Música de Soundstripe: Our Way, de Luke Bergs y Markvards.

    23 min
  5. 01. Design your year with Lucia Paredes

    11 JAN

    01. Design your year with Lucia Paredes

    Happy New Year!! 2026… a brand new year, a blank space and an opportunity to create and make this year what you want it to be! Yes, I mean it, and in this episode I share with you 3 tools / techniques (science based!), that will help you with it.  1.     Start with WHY: ever put thing on your new year’s intention / goals only to discover a week in and you’re not there yet? Me too, until I discovered that the (REAL) reason WHY they are there matters more than you think…  a.     Check out Simon Sinek’s work here:            i.     TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA            ii.     Book: https://amzn.eu/d/bHbkfyn   2.     It compounds: aka, Atomic Habits. Sticking with new habits is far more complicated than we think, and we underestimate the importance of taking small (very small, atom-size indeed…) steps holds the key to sustainably achieving them.  a.     Check out James Clear’s work here:          i.     Book: https://amzn.eu/d/20c3Feo          ii.     Site: https://jamesclear.com 3.     Spring into action: you may have heard of the term vision board and manifesting… I am not a big fan of them as such, but I am a big fan of Action Boards! A scientific approach to manifesting and why priming your brain will help you in making your dreams come true.  a.     Check out Dr. Tara Swart work here:          i.     Site: https://www.taraswart.com          ii.     Book: https://amzn.eu/d/0VPzoyQ If you want to discuss with me any of this, including joining the Action Board workshop or working with me: lucia@coachingwithlucia.com Love, Lucia   To connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucia-paredes-suanzes/ https://www.coachingwithlucia.com https://www.instagram.com/coachingwithlucia/ lucia@coachingwithlucia.com   Follow us on: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/c_is_for_change/⁠⁠   Music from Soundstripe: Our Way, by Luke Bergs and Markvards.

    22 min
  6. 17. From professional athlete to creative CEO, a story or resilience and reinvention with Dori Dunai

    30/11/2025

    17. From professional athlete to creative CEO, a story or resilience and reinvention with Dori Dunai

    CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains candid discussions about themes of abuse, and self-harm / suicide attempts. While this is ultimately a story of incredible survival, strength, and overcoming, we understand that these subjects can be distressing. Please take care of your mental well-being while listening, and feel free to skip this episode if you are not in a safe space to hear it today. We share this story with the interviewee's permission as an example of resilience and hope. If you need support, please see the resources listed below. Today we are joined by Dori Dunai, founder of Miracle Magnet Studios, storyteller, creative thinker and unapologetic NFL super fan. Dori’s working background includes Amazon, Disney, Viasat.  She’s a podcaster, coach and recently has launched her own YouTube channel too! - https://www.youtube.com/@DoriDunai Behind the professional success? A woman that shows resilience, creativity and kindness.  Welcome to C is for change Dori! During our conversation we spoke about: 1.     Squiggly careers: Dori’s journey began in the sports world, but due to an injury she had to re-think and make a u-turn, that ultimately led her into creative industries, working at Disney, Amazon, Viasat… and founding her own business, Miracle Magnet Studios, creating her own YouTube Channel and podcast! 2.     Endurance: as a professional runner whose career was halted turned to marathon runner. We talk about the resilience this sport builds and the parallelism with life.  3.     Seeking help: As flagged, Dori shared a very difficult part of her journey, as a victim of abuse that led her to mental health decline. Seeking help wasn’t easy and took time, but Dori reflected on how this now helps her see anything that happens in life as solvable, reversible and possible to overcome.  4.     Creativity: not just professionally, Dori’s creative journey spans to all areas of her life. From professional pathways to living. Dori always sees the other side, a different perspective, an idea waiting to be turned into reality.  5.     Failure and giving it a go: Dori shared how she left her job to start her own company, with no money and no fall back. Putting her flat on Airbnb, trying, failing and trying again. She highlighted the importance of being compassionate and kind to ourselves and understanding that we are giving it our best, and that is what matters. We spoke about James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits, and how that perspective can help in taking the steps needed to get us closer to where we want to be: https://amzn.eu/d/b6LP71O   Thanks Dori for being with us. That was the incredibly powerful and brave story and we are so grateful for your courage in sharing your journey of survival and strength with us.  If anything you heard today has affected you, please know that you are not alone, and help is available: 999. For confidential support regarding mental health or abuse, several dedicated UK helplines are available 24/7.  Samaritans: Offers a confidential, non-judgmental listening service for anyone experiencing distress or despair. Call: 116 123 (free from any phone, 24/7) https://www.samaritans.org/ NHS Urgent Mental Health Helpline: Call 111 and select option 2 to speak to a trained mental health professional for urgent support 24/7. Mind: The mental health charity offers an information and support line. Call: 0300 123 3393 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm, except bank holidays).  https://www.mind.org.uk   If you want to connect with Dori: YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DoriDunai www.miraclemagnetstudios.com https://www.instagram.com/dori.dunai/   To connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucia-paredes-suanzes/ https://www.coachingwithlucia.com https://www.instagram.com/coachingwithlucia/ lucia@coachingwithlucia.com   Follow us on: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/c_is_for_change/⁠⁠   Music from Soundstripe: Our Way, by Luke Bergs and Markvards.

    1h 18m

About

I'm your host, Lucia. Multi-passionate marketeer turned career happiness coach. With 20+ years in global marketing and a rich background in Positive Psychology, Science of Wellbeing and Presence-based coaching, I help people thrive through change. One thing we all struggle with? Change. And the one thing sure to happen? Change! In each episode I’m joined by inspiring guests to unpack how they’ve navigated life's twists, journeys full of highs and lows, u-turns, uncertainty... but also beautiful surprises, growth and laughter. Thanks for tuning in...now, go hug a curveball today! Lucia x