Lisa Skeffington, is a multi–award-winning psychotherapist, executive coach, and self-esteem expert who has spent more than 25 years helping high-achieving women navigate anxiety, burnout, and hidden emotional wounds.

In this episode, we step into the shadowed world of Mary Shelley - a brilliant, grieving teenager who transformed heartbreak, abandonment, and emotional exile into one of history’s most haunting masterpieces.

Join Kavita Ahuja and guest Lisa Skeffington, award-winning psychotherapist and executive coach, as they uncover why high-achieving women feel the pressure to always have it together – and how to safely peel back the layers, reclaim your voice, and reconnect with who you truly are.

Loneliness is no longer just a private ache. In 2023, the World Health Organisation formally recognised loneliness as a pressing global health threat, one that impacts not only emotional wellbeing but also physical health and life expectancy. Yet despite this growing awareness, millions of women continue to live with loneliness behind a mask of competence and calm.

For many successful women, confidence in their careers hides a quieter struggle, the fear of trusting too easily or not at all. They long for real support yet hesitate to reach for it, convinced that choosing the wrong person or programme could make things worse. Others replay past disappointments with mentors, friends, or partners and tell themselves it’s safer to cope alone.

Picture this: Emma was once the young high-flyer everyone admired. She had the drive, the career prospects, and the sense of independence that came from making her own way. But when the time came to start a family, she and her husband agreed she would take a step back. It was a joint decision, and one she doesn’t regret. She still works part-time, for her own fulfilment, but her priority has been to be the main caregiver.

The inability to travel on vacation because of the pandemic has taken a toll on many people. They feel frustrated, lonely, helpless or depressed or have other mental concerns, an English anxiety expert says.

Work-life balance. It’s a phrase so often repeated that it has almost lost its meaning. For senior leaders, balance can feel like a fantasy one more demand on an already impossible list. Meetings stretch late into the night, the phone rarely stops, and even holidays can be interrupted by work emergencies. On paper, everything looks successful. The financial rewards are there. The status is secure. Yet at home, something far more precious can quietly slip away: emotional connection with those who matter most.

Lisa is awarded ‘Psychotherapist of the Year’ for the second year running. She is recognised for her work with women struggling with imposter syndrome and burnout.

Woman & Home Magazine’s Amazing Women 50 over 50 Awards. In the Shaping the Future category, Lisa is recognised for her ground-breaking work with anxious teens and their families.

In boardrooms across the UK and beyond, the topic of employee wellbeing is frequently on the agenda. But behind the polished policies and the occasional yoga class or mental health mindset day, a pressing question lingers: Do companies genuinely care about employee wellbeing, or is it all just about the numbers?

Hear how a single whispered moment changed the course of my life, and why I believe your inner child is still whispering to you now. If you've ever felt like an imposter, like you're holding it all together behind a mask of outward success while silently falling apart, this podcast is for you.

In today’s relentless pace of high-stakes meetings, back-to-back obligations, and the emotional weight of carrying others, whether in boardrooms or in family life, high-functioning women and corporate leaders often find themselves quietly fraying at the edges. 

In today's fast-paced professional world, emotional stress is no longer a private issue confined to the therapist’s office. It has become a strategic workplace concern and an urgent one. The Mental Health Foundation reports that 74% of UK adults have felt so stressed at some point in the last year they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope. In a business context, stress is more than just an individual wellbeing issue. It is a performance issue, a communication issue, and a retention issue.

In the quiet spaces between meetings, school runs, inboxes and endless to-do lists, a particular kind of woman is silently struggling. She appears calm, competent, and successful on the outside, perhaps even admired by many. But beneath the polished exterior, she feels increasingly isolated.

The glass ceiling is often described as an invisible barrier preventing women from rising to the top of their professions. But what if, for many successful women, the true barrier is not external but internal? What if the limits they perceive in their careers stem not only from societal structures but also from deep-seated beliefs formed in childhood?

To the world, she is successful, accomplished, and in control. Yet, behind closed doors, she wrestles with a truth she dares not speak. The anxiety, the self-doubt, the relentless pressure to perform, to hold it all together while secretly wondering, "When will I finally feel like I belong?"

Lisa shares her journey of growing up in an abusive household, experiencing trauma at the dinner table, and ultimately transforming her pain into a mission to help others reclaim their confidence, self-identity, and inner peace.

Lisa Skeffington Launches Empowered Momentum Community to Support High-Achieving Women

Read how award-winning psychotherapist, Lisa Skeffington, helps women win their silent battle with anxiety, self-doubt, and the overwhelming pressure to ‘do it all’.