"No matter what you do in life, you're gonna get judged. You may as well just embrace exactly what you want to do at that moment in time. Open that door. Go through it. You'll be a bit scared. It'll be new, it'll be novel. You'll definitely learn a lot about yourself. You will be challenged, you will be supported."

What happens when you choose to walk away from what society expects of you and step through a door that feels equal parts terrifying and right? In this episode, I speak to Lee Chambers, psychologist, entrepreneur, author, and leading voice in the male allyship space for an honest conversation about courage, redefining leadership, and creating true inclusivity.

Lee shares the moment he left his successful tech business to become a stay-at-home dad, and what he has learned stepping into unfamiliar rooms and how listening to mothers, grandmothers, and his own discomfort, has inspired a career dedicated to justice and equity.

We talk about allyship and why now, more than ever, it's needed and is the foundation for the change we want in the world.

The Highlights:

04:36 Closing the door on the business and becoming a stay-at-home dad 06:19 What really happens when you're the only man at the toddler group 08:26 Navigating other people's judgment

15:16 Learning to walk again

21:28 Curiosity, justice, and entering the work of allyship

23:37 What women shared that changed his path

24:59 Why male allyship is not "rescuing" but partnership and humility

32:08 The power of introversion, and how Lee creates impactful content

38:05 Skills of allyship - stepping forward to the side and back

41:11 Misplaced "scarcity," and the unseen privilege of building equality

48:06 Why challenging conversations and self-exploration are essential.

Lee's navigating change list

Soundtrack: "Harvest for the World" by The Isley Brothers Book: Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez

One piece of advice: "When you walk through a door, you normally walk in from a place that has limits, barriers, walls. When you actually close the door behind you, there's always an expanse in front of you to go and explore. A closed door is a blank canvas. The root of the word authentic is 'author.' So when you walk through that door and it closes, pick up that pen, become the author. Don't let other people write your story. Start writing it for yourself."

More about Lee

Lee Chambers is the Founder and CEO of Male Allies UK. After a diverse career, from corporate finance to building and exiting a tech company, he is now focused on supporting organisations to engage men in inclusion and promote effective allyship. He speaks globally on allyship and intersectionality, having taken the stage at One Young World, ChangeNOW and the Bloomberg Global Equality Summit, and is the author of the bestselling book, Momentum: 13 Ways To Unlock Your Potential.

Find out more: https://leechambers.org/

Work with Eleanor

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Work with Eleanor 121 as your coach, when you are starting something new, to develop the idea, to create the idea, to get it launched.

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Produced by winteraudio.co.uk