Successful AF Pod

Jessica West
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Careers

Successful AF is a podcast about redefining success on your own terms. Host Jess West — a leadership and burnout coach who's circled the drain on burnout more than once — sits down with people who did everything right, ticked every box, and still found themselves asking "is this it?" Through honest, unfiltered conversations about burnout recovery, career change and reinvention, her guests share how they stopped borrowing someone else's scorecard and started authoring success for themselves. If you've ever chased a version of success that was never built for you, this one's for you.

  1. Jul 31

    Stop Saying No to Yourself: Imposter Syndrome, Career Change and Leading AI — Professor Shushma Patel

    Stop Saying No to Yourself: Imposter Syndrome, Career Change and Leading AI — Professor Shushma Patel Shushma Patel built a world-class career — a PhD in dermatology, decades of research, leadership across computing, engineering and business schools. And the whole time, whenever the next big room opened up, she talked herself out of walking in. "I've only been here a year." "Someone else has been here longer." She's now Pro Vice-Chancellor for Artificial Intelligence at De Montfort University, in a role thought to be the first of its kind in the sector — and she'll tell you, completely straight-faced, that she still feels like an imposter. In this episode of Successful AF, Shushma shares how a career that started in a dermatology lab became a leading role in AI — not through a five-year plan, but through a single golden thread: the belief that the skills you build transfer anywhere, and that no one should hem their life in at sixteen because they picked three A levels. First in her family into higher education, and one of very few women in tech in almost every room she's entered, Shushma has spent her career pulling women in behind her — and she's brilliantly clear on how the rest of us can do the same. In this episode, you'll discover: Why a non-linear career is a strength, not a failure — and the "golden thread" that connects every role you've ever hadThe crucial difference between mentorship and sponsorship: one keeps the ladder down, the other pulls you up itWhat "keeping the seat warm" really means — and why time served is the worst reason anyone ever got promotedHow imposter syndrome shows up even at the top, and what actually builds confidence over a career (spoiler: it isn't waiting to feel ready)What AI literacy really means for your job — plus the one thing you're doing every time your phone rings that could hand your voice to an AIWhat success looks like when you stop measuring it in money and start measuring it in impactWhether you're contemplating a career change, battling self-doubt in rooms where no one looks like you, or wondering whether it's too late to pivot — this conversation is your permission slip. Stop saying no to yourself. Save your no for the things that drain you. Love this episode? Hit subscribe and leave us a review! And if you know someone who's redefining success on their own terms, nominate them at successfulafpod@gmail.com - we're always looking for incredible people to feature. Connect with Jess: Instagram: @kalicoaching.co Website: www.kalicoaching.co.uk

  2. Jul 18

    Relentless: From 'Starving Artist' to Successful AF with Camille Bieber

    “You don’t have to deserve rest.” — Camille Bieber on relentlessness, authenticity, and redefining success My guest this week is Camille Bieber — photographer, videographer, and founder of Lila & Co, a creative business helping wellness brands tell their story through visuals. But for years, Camille didn’t think the word “success” applied to them at all. Their old Facebook bio literally read “starving artist.” They arrived in the UK at 25 with two suitcases, one acquaintance and no network — a second-generation migrant, entirely self-taught, who’s never had an office job in their life. In this episode you’ll discover: What being “relentless” actually looks like day to day — and why there’s no such thing as an overnight successHow Camille’s business took off at the exact moment they decided to give up on itWhy rest is something you never have to earn (“if you’re not gonna rest for yourself, rest for your clients”)How running a business unearths exactly where you need healingThe permission Camille wants to give you to stop masking and be your weird self publiclyWhy success, right now, looks like a walk on the beach in HoveWe talk redefining success on your own terms as a queer, second-generation migrant and self-taught entrepreneur — and what it takes to build something from nothing without losing yourself in the process. Find Camille on Instagram @lilaand.co, at lilaand.co, and on their podcast The Winding Way. Got a story about redefining success on your own terms? I’d love to hear it — email successfulafpod@gmail.com Love this episode? Hit subscribe and leave us a review! And if you know someone who's redefining success on their own terms, nominate them at successfulafpod@gmail.com - we're always looking for incredible people to feature. Connect with Jess: Instagram: @kalicoaching.co Website: www.kalicoaching.co.uk

  3. Jul 11

    You Can't Bubble Bath Your Way Out of Burnout

    Another solo one, and this time I'm getting into something I talk about all the time in my coaching but haven't really unpacked on the pod: burnout isn't a bubble bath problem. It's a nervous system issue. It's a belief system issue. And no amount of journaling, breathwork or gong baths is going to fix it if the thing underneath — the constant performing, the chasing of a version of success you never actually chose — doesn't change. I share my own story (hello, optimising-to-the-max era, habit trackers and all) and the moment lockdown forced me to stop and realise I had no idea how to climb back down the mountain. Then a few questions I want to leave you with: When did you last feel peace? Joy? Free? And what were you doing? Because how you live your days is how you live your life. Kudos if the fast cars and designer whatever is genuinely what you want — but if it isn't, consider this your invitation to reevaluate. Love this episode? Hit subscribe and leave us a review! And if you know someone who's redefining success on their own terms, nominate them at successfulafpod@gmail.com - we're always looking for incredible people to feature. Connect with Jess: Instagram: @kalicoaching.co Website: www.kalicoaching.co.uk

  4. Jul 4

    Dancing With Pain: Living With Chronic Illness and Learning to Surrender — Lorraine Ansell

    Lorraine Ansell spent 40 years in pain without knowing it. Waking up feeling like she'd been "hit by a plane," feet that hummed, a body that bruised at the slightest touch — she assumed everyone felt that way. It wasn't until lockdown, a TikTok algorithm and a very thorough letter to her GP that she was finally diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and four decades of unanswered questions suddenly made sense. In this season three opener of Successful AF, host Jess West sits down with Lorraine — author of The Surrender Agenda, voiceover artist and dancer — for an honest, surprisingly funny conversation about what happens when there's no cure. Lorraine's radical idea isn't to fight her chronic pain, but to dance with it: to surrender, accept, learn and ultimately love the body she has. In this conversation, you'll hear: How decades of symptoms got dismissed as "growing pains" — and why women so often aren't believed by the medical systemWhat it took to finally get a diagnosis after 40 years, and how to advocate for yourself with your GPWhy "surrender" is a position of strength, not weakness or failureHow Lorraine reframes chronic pain as a dance partner rather than an enemy to defeatWhy rest is "revolution time," and how stripping life back changed her relationship with successThe case for bringing pain "out of the shadows" the way we've started to with mental healthThis one is for anyone living with chronic pain, invisible illness or an undiagnosed condition — and for anyone exhausted by the battle of trying to outrun something that lives inside them. The Surrender Agenda by Lorraine Ansell is available online, on Kindle, and as an audiobook in Lorraine's own voice. Love this episode? Hit subscribe and leave us a review! And if you know someone who's redefining success on their own terms, nominate them at successfulafpod@gmail.com - we're always looking for incredible people to feature. Connect with Jess: Instagram: @kalicoaching.co Website: www.kalicoaching.co.uk

  5. Jun 27

    Season 3: Stop Borrowing Someone Else's Scorecard — Jess Goes Solo

    In the first ever solo episode of Successful AF, host Jess West kicks off season three with a reset on what this whole show is really about. After 21 conversations with guests redefining success on their own terms, Jess pulls together the threads — and gets honest about her own story: circling the drain on burnout more than once, chasing a version of success she'd never actually authored for herself. This is a short, unfiltered reflection on why we spend so long chasing the big house, the title and the fancy watch — a version of success that, as Jess puts it, was designed for none of us — and what changes when you stop borrowing someone else's scorecard and start defining success for yourself. In this episode, Jess explores: Why success is self-authored, not inherited — and how to stop chasing someone else's definitionThe gap between knowing you're successful and actually feeling itUnlearning the conditioning: why your first thought is programming and your second thought is choiceThe power of walking away, and why grit and relentless optimisation aren't the whole storyHer own burnout story — chasing a promotion, ignoring the warning signs, and what she found on the other sideWhy how you live your days is how you live your lifeWhether you're navigating burnout recovery, a career change, or just the quiet sense that you've ticked every box and still feel like something's missing, this episode is an invitation to live differently — and to give yourself permission to define success on your own terms. New episodes all season. If the show resonates, follow, rate and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Love this episode? Hit subscribe and leave us a review! And if you know someone who's redefining success on their own terms, nominate them at successfulafpod@gmail.com - we're always looking for incredible people to feature. Connect with Jess: Instagram: @kalicoaching.co Website: www.kalicoaching.co.uk

  6. May 29

    Money, Mindset & Multi-Passion: You Can Have It All, Just Not at Once – Jessie Leong

    What if the reason you feel bad about money has nothing to do with how much you have? Jessie Leong is a marketing manager by day and the founder of How I Fund This by night — a personal finance community of over 80,000 people built on one simple but radical idea: that financial confidence isn't about perfection, deprivation, or having it all figured out. It's about understanding your relationship with money well enough to make it work for the life you actually want. In this episode, Jess and Jessie get into the real stuff — the anxiety, the shame, the seasons where money feels impossible — and why being honest about all of it is the first step to feeling better. In this episode you'll learn: Why money is an emotional topic first and a practical one second — and why that changes everythingHow to work out what you actually value (and spend accordingly, without guilt)The case for building an emergency fund — and how to start even when the end goal feels out of reachWhy small, consistent habits will always outperform a one-off financial overhaulHow to be multi-passionate and build something meaningful alongside a full-time jobWhat Jessie would tell her younger self about mistakes, permission, and peace of mindConnect with Jessie: Instagram: How I Fund This | Substack: For What It's Worth Love this episode? Hit subscribe and leave us a review! And if you know someone who's redefining success on their own terms, nominate them at successfulafpod@gmail.com - we're always looking for incredible people to feature. Connect with Jess: Instagram: @kalicoaching.co Website: www.kalicoaching.co.uk

  7. May 16

    Can You Be Ambitious Without Burning Out? Riah Patel on Networking, Mentorship & Slowing Down to Succeed

    Riah Patel has the career, the drive, and the results to prove it. A senior leader and surveyor in the real estate industry, she's spent a decade building an impressive career through sheer intentionality — moving from graduate scheme to business development, team leadership and strategy, while becoming one of the most respected networkers in her field. But the most interesting part of her story isn't the promotions or the business development wins. It's what she discovered when she finally gave herself permission to slow down — and realised her results actually got better. In this episode of Successful AF, Riah gets refreshingly honest about the cost of always being full throttle, what sustainable ambition really looks like in practice, and why she still does power poses in work bathrooms before big presentations. In this conversation, you'll hear: Why career networking doesn't have to feel transactional — and how to build genuine human connection in professional spacesWhat Riah learned when she stopped working at full speed (spoiler: she didn't fall behind)How she finds and works with mentors — including why her longest-standing mentor wasn't who she expectedThe confidence-building habits that actually work, from coaching to body languageWhat burnout prevention really looks like when you're wired to be competitiveWhy her definition of success has shifted — and what "complicated" really meansThis one is for anyone who's ever wondered whether ambition and sustainability can actually coexist. Turns out, they can. You just have to be intentional about it. Love this episode? Hit subscribe and leave us a review! And if you know someone who's redefining success on their own terms, nominate them at successfulafpod@gmail.com - we're always looking for incredible people to feature. Connect with Jess: Instagram: @kalicoaching.co Website: www.kalicoaching.co.uk

  8. Mar 8

    When Your Doctor Won't Listen: Risa August on Brain Tumours, Radical Reinvention, and What Success Really Feels Like

    What if you spent seven years knowing something was wrong with your body — and every doctor told you nothing was? Risa August is a two-time Ironman athlete, cyclist, author, and one of the most quietly compelling people I've ever spoken to. For seven years, her body was changing in ways she couldn't explain. She was dismissed, minimised, and told to drink more water — while completing Ironman triathlons. It was only when Risa demanded her own MRI that doctors discovered a large tumour on her pituitary gland and a rare condition called acromegaly that had been reshaping her body for years. What followed was brain surgery, radiation, lifelong medication — and six months later, Risa had signed up to cycle from Meixco to Canada, cycling 1,845 miles down the Pacific Coast Highway to Mexico. She had injections shipped to remote locations along the route. Because that's just who she is. But this isn't really a story about physical feats. It's about what happens to your identity when the version of yourself you've built everything around is no longer available to you — and who you find when you stop trying to get her back. In this episode, you'll discover: ✨ How to advocate for your own health when medical professionals aren't listening (and why women are disproportionately dismissed)  ✨ What identity collapse really feels like — and the surprising first step Risa took toward recovery (spoiler: it wasn't getting back on the bike)  ✨ Why receiving help used to feel like weakness — and the mindset shift that changed everything  ✨ How to find forward motion when you can barely get to the front door  ✨ What success feels like when you stop measuring it in achievements and start measuring it in days that just flow  This episode is for you if: You've been dismissed by doctors and are looking for validation that you know your own bodyYou're a high-achiever going through a health crisis, burnout, or major life disruptionYour identity is deeply tied to what you do — and that's starting to feel fragileYou're rebuilding after loss and wondering what the first step looks likeYou want to redefine success on your own terms, not someone else'sAbout Risa August: Risa August is an athlete, author, and speaker who has competed in two Ironman triathlons, completed a 1,845-mile Pacific Coast cycle six months after brain surgery, and channelled her experience of acromegaly and pituitary tumour diagnosis into her debut book, The Road Unpaved: Border to Border with a Brain Tumour and a Bike. You can find Risa at risaaugust.com. Love this episode? Hit subscribe and leave us a review! And if you know someone who's redefining success on their own terms, nominate them at successfulafpod@gmail.com - we're always looking for incredible people to feature. Connect with Jess: Instagram: @kalicoaching.co Website: www.kalicoaching.co.uk

See All (26)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Successful AF is a podcast about redefining success on your own terms. Host Jess West — a leadership and burnout coach who's circled the drain on burnout more than once — sits down with people who did everything right, ticked every box, and still found themselves asking "is this it?" Through honest, unfiltered conversations about burnout recovery, career change and reinvention, her guests share how they stopped borrowing someone else's scorecard and started authoring success for themselves. If you've ever chased a version of success that was never built for you, this one's for you.

Information

  • Creator
    Jessica West
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Successful AF Pod
  • Show Website
    Successful AF Pod