Confessions Of An Unapologetic Rebel

Hosted by Emma Gibbs-Ng

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276

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Aug 2026

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About the show

CONFESSIONS OF AN UNAPOLOGETIC REBEL The world teaches people how to rise. This show explores how they remain themselves while they do. Hosted by Emma Gibbs-Ng, Confessions of an Unapologetic Rebel is a show about the human behind success, visibility, performance, pressure and reinvention. Each week, Emma sits down with athletes, founders, performers, experts and public figures to uncover the stories most people never hear, the moments behind the headlines, the pressure behind the performance, and the identity shifts that happen as life asks more of us. Alongside bold interviews, Emma shares solo Rebel Riffs, cultural breakdowns and unfiltered conversations exploring the deeper questions shaping modern life: • How do you stay connected to yourself while the world is measuring you? • Can you become more without abandoning who you are? • What happens when success, visibility and pressure start changing the way you see yourself? • Who are you when the scoreboard goes quiet? This isn't a show about perfect people. It's a show about staying human in a world obsessed with measurement. Because the real challenge isn't becoming successful. It's remaining yourself while you do. New episodes every week.

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September 23, 2026Episode 21256 min

EP212: I Made My Business Stupidly Simple. The Hard Part Was Keeping It That Way with Lauren Barlow

I MADE MY BUSINESS STUPIDLY SIMPLE. THE HARD PART WAS KEEPING IT THAT WAY. We all say we want things to be simpler. A simpler business. Fewer things to focus on. Less noise. Less overwhelm. So why, when something actually becomes simple, do so many of us immediately start fucking with it? That became one of the things I found most fascinating during this conversation with Lauren. Lauren has built an incredibly successful business, but underneath that success is an approach that is almost aggressively simple. One signature offer. A small number of things that actually matter. A constant willingness to strip away everything that doesn't need to be there. But she didn't initially learn to work like this because of some clever business strategy. She learnt it because life forced her to. When Lauren was in her early twenties, her grandad was diagnosed with cancer and told he had just weeks to live. At the time, Lauren was beginning to build her business and, while helping care for him, there were days when she had literally one hour to work while he slept. One hour meant there was no time for busywork. She had to ask: What actually matters right now? What is going to move the needle? What deserves my attention? And what could have looked like an enormous disadvantage ended up teaching Lauren something that would become one of her greatest advantages: how to make things stupidly simple. But what I loved about this conversation is that we didn't just talk about how to simplify. We talked about why simplicity can be so bloody uncomfortable in the first place. Why doing three strategic things can somehow feel scarier than doing twenty. Why one offer can require more self-trust than five. Why we can find safety in numbers, activity and doing more. And why, even when we've found something that works, we have an almost irresistible urge to start adding things back in. We talk about: The experience with Lauren's grandad that completely changed the way she looked at life and business Building a business in tiny pockets of time How constraint taught her to identify what actually mattered Why "How can I make this stupidly simple?" became such an important question Why simplicity can feel more uncomfortable than complexity The safety we can find in being busy Why three strategic pieces of work can feel scarier than doing twenty Building one signature offer and refining it over years Why we complicate things again once they start working The difference between doing more and doing what actually matters The question Lauren asks herself when she's overwhelmed Learning to ignore other people's limitations Where Lauren's drive to play full-out really comes from Thinking about what you want to be known for ten years from now I've kept thinking about something since we recorded this: Maybe overcomplication is sometimes just self-doubt dressed up as hard work. Because perhaps the difficult part isn't figuring out how to make things simpler. Perhaps the difficult part is trusting that simple is enough. And then having the discipline to leave it the fuck alone. COME AND FIND ME ON INSTAGRAM If you loved this conversation, come and join me on Instagram HERE It's where I share the moments from these conversations that I can't stop thinking about, the questions I wish more people would ask, what I'm noticing after years of interviewing fascinating humans, and the stories I'm currently following. Follow me at @emmagibbsng Follow Lauren HERE COME AND SIT IN THE HOT SEAT 🎬 Hot Seat is my filmed interview experience for people with a story, a body of work, a public image or simply far more to them than the version people already know. Because there's a difference between telling your story and being properly interviewed about it. I research. I listen. I notice the detail you almost skipped over. I follow the answer you weren't expecting to give. And together, we find the stories, contradictions and parts of you that people can't simply Google. The result is a beautifully produced filmed conversation that lets people meet the person behind the image, the work and the version of your story they've heard before. If you've ever thought: There's more to my story than people know. Come and sit with me. HOT SEAT with Emma Gibbs-Ng DM me HOT SEAT on Instagram at @emmagibbsng to start the conversation.

September 16, 2026Episode 2121 hr 8 min

211: I Didn't Go to Prison. So I Built One for Myself Instead.

What happens when one choice completely destroys the identity you've spent your whole life trying to maintain? Steph describes herself as having been raised to be the "Good Girl". She followed the rules. Did what was expected. Tried not to disappoint people. Until she didn't. While working within NHS mental health, Steph had a relationship with a patient at the unit where she worked. She became pregnant, admitted what had happened to her employer and subsequently faced criminal proceedings, receiving a suspended custodial sentence and being placed on the Sex Offenders Register. But the conviction isn't really the story of this conversation. It's the doorway. Because after avoiding a physical prison sentence, Steph says she went on to build an even more impressive prison inside her own head. For almost 20 years, she rebuilt a life that looked successful from the outside while privately carrying the fear of one question: What happens if people find out? In this deeply open conversation, we explore what shame actually looks like when it becomes woven into the everyday fabric of your life and what happened when Steph finally decided she was ready to stop hiding. We talk about: Growing up with the identity of the "Good Girl" The choice that blew that identity apart Pregnancy, criminal proceedings and believing she might give birth in prison Rebuilding her life through performance How shame can operate without you even recognising it Constantly scanning people and conversations in case somebody discovers your past Why compliments couldn't fully land when Steph felt people were praising a version of her rather than the whole person The extraordinary contradiction of creating psychological safety for other people while never feeling psychologically safe herself The fear of losing everything she'd rebuilt Why protecting her son both helped Steph survive and later contributed to her remaining hidden The small steps that eventually gave her the courage to tell her story What happened when the moment she'd feared for almost 20 years finally arrived Why revealing the truth was unexpectedly anticlimactic Steph's belief that "shame dies in the light" The difference between making decisions from performance and making them from truth What freedom feels like to her now This isn't ultimately a conversation about a criminal conviction. It's about identity. Shame. Belonging. The exhausting work of maintaining a version of yourself you believe other people will accept. And what can become possible when you finally decide you don't want to perform her anymore. Because sometimes the version of ourselves we build to protect us eventually becomes the version we need to escape from. Follow Steph HERE COME AND FIND ME ON INSTAGRAM If you loved this conversation, come and join me on Instagram HERE It's where I share the moments from these conversations that I can't stop thinking about, the questions I wish more people would ask, what I'm noticing after years of interviewing fascinating humans, and the stories I'm currently following. Follow me at @emmagibbsng COME AND SIT IN THE HOT SEAT 🎬 Hot Seat is my filmed interview experience for people with a story, a body of work, a public image or simply far more to them than the version people already know. Because there's a difference between telling your story and being properly interviewed about it. I research. I listen. I notice the detail you almost skipped over. I follow the answer you weren't expecting to give. And together, we find the stories, contradictions and parts of you that people can't simply Google. The result is a beautifully produced filmed conversation that lets people meet the person behind the image, the work and the version of your story they've heard before. If you've ever thought: There's more to my story than people know. Come and sit with me. HOT SEAT with Emma Gibbs-Ng DM me HOT SEAT on Instagram at @emmagibbsng to start the conversation.

September 9, 2026Episode 21046 min

EP210: Everyone Called Me Superwoman. I Was Quietly Falling Apart with Laura Caunter

What happens when being the woman who can handle everything becomes part of your identity? From the outside, Laura was incredibly successful. She was building a business, working with high-level clients, raising two children and holding everything together while her husband was deployed. People called her Superwoman. But behind the success, Laura was exhausted, anxious and sacrificing far more of herself than anyone could see. Then, during an ordinary school pick-up in March 2024, her body finally said enough. Standing in her children's school, convinced she was having a heart attack, Laura had to hand her children back to the receptionist and admit: "I need you to take them because I'm broken." That moment forced her to question not only how she was working, but how she was living. In this conversation, we explore the hidden cost of high performance, why being capable can become its own trap, and what it really means to build the capacity to hold success without sacrificing yourself in the process. We talk about: The pressure of being perceived as the woman who can handle everything Why Laura wanted people to stop calling her "Superwoman" The moment her body forced her to stop Building a life around what Laura calls "richness" Why capacity isn't about simply learning to carry more Running your capacity from power rather than exhaustion The tiny, often overlooked decisions that protect our ability to perform Why Laura returned to sleep, food, water and exercise when rebuilding herself The surprising reason one-to-one work gives Laura more energy than the supposedly more scalable business model she previously followed Protecting relationships while operating at a high level Learning to say no without needing to justify it Why success on paper doesn't necessarily mean you're actually thriving What Laura has finally stopped trying to prove This is a conversation about success, pressure, capacity and the public/private gap that can exist when everybody thinks you're coping because you've become exceptionally good at looking like you are. Because perhaps real capacity isn't proving how much you can carry. Perhaps it's knowing what deserves to be carried by you in the first place. Follow Laura HERE COME AND FIND ME ON INSTAGRAM If you loved this conversation, come and join me on Instagram HERE It's where I share the moments from these conversations that I can't stop thinking about, the questions I wish more people would ask, what I'm noticing after years of interviewing fascinating humans, and the stories I'm currently following. Follow me at @emmagibbsng COME AND SIT IN THE HOT SEAT 🎬 Hot Seat is my filmed interview experience for people with a story, a body of work, a public image or simply far more to them than the version people already know. Because there's a difference between telling your story and being properly interviewed about it. I research. I listen. I notice the detail you almost skipped over. I follow the answer you weren't expecting to give. And together, we find the stories, contradictions and parts of you that people can't simply Google. The result is a beautifully produced filmed conversation that lets people meet the person behind the image, the work and the version of your story they've heard before. If you've ever thought: There's more to my story than people know. Come and sit with me. HOT SEAT with Emma Gibbs-Ng DM me HOT SEAT on Instagram at @emmagibbsng to start the conversation.

August 19, 2026Episode 2091 hr 6 min

EP209: Who Are You When The World Isn't Watching?

Former England cricket captain Adam Hollioake joins me for a fascinating conversation about pressure, mental toughness and what it really takes to access your ability when everything is on the line. When Adam Hollioake lost his brother, people looked at the way he continued to perform and assumed he was coping. What they didn't see was what happened when he got home. In this conversation, the former England cricket captain shares how cricket became the only part of his day where his mind found relief from the grief and how years of mental training allowed him to remain present when everything outside the game felt unbearable. We talk about the imaginary hook he used outside the changing room to mentally leave his problems at the door, the way he imagined his thoughts as apps that needed closing, and why he deliberately visualised the most difficult conditions rather than only picturing success. Adam also shares what elite sport taught him about pressure, presence, subconscious training and the strange contradiction of calling the game "90% mental" while spending almost all our time training the physical. This is a deeply human conversation about grief, performance and what it really takes to access your ability when everything is on the line. In this episode, we discuss: Why cricket became a place of relief during grief The difference between appearing to cope and actually coping Adam's imaginary hook outside the changing room The "mental apps" technique he used to stay present Why he visualised hostile crowds and the worst possible conditions How pressure can block access to the ability you already have Why your biggest opponent can be your own mind The importance of knowing when there isn't actually a problem to fix What it means to bet on yourself when everything is on the line

August 12, 2026Episode 20728 min

EP208: Who Are You When The World Isn't Watching?

Who Are You When The World Isn't Watching? Who are you underneath the person everybody knows? Not your title. Not your reputation. Not the version people expect you to be. You. In this episode, Emma explores the gap between the person the world sees and the person underneath and what happens when we spend so long performing an identity that we lose connection with who we actually are. Because the most interesting thing about you probably isn't the thing everybody already knows. In This Episode • The person everyone knows vs. the person nobody sees • How we accidentally become trapped by our own reputation • Why rehearsed stories create disconnection • What happens when you've outgrown the identity people associate with you • Why the parts we hide are often the parts people connect with most • The questions that reveal more than any polished success story ever could • Emma's own experience of realising she'd stopped listening to herself and what happened when she finally did A Question Worth Sitting With Who are you when the world is watching and who are you when it isn't? And more importantly... What's the gap between the two? The Unfair Advantage Private training for the human behind the performance, helping you strengthen self-trust, identity and your capacity to remain yourself as life asks for more. JOIN HERE Enjoyed The Episode? Follow the podcast, leave a review and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. Because the person behind the performance might just be the most interesting part of the story.

July 8, 2026Episode 20712 min

EP207: I nearly talked myself out of my biggest dream this week

The Moment Your Dream Starts Feeling Real What happens when the thing you've always wanted suddenly feels possible? In this episode, Emma shares a personal behind-the-scenes moment after a powerful conversation with someone in TV about her dream of hosting her own show. But instead of feeling excited... She felt the fear, doubt and resistance rise. Because sometimes the biggest identity shifts don't happen when we're failing. They happen when we're standing at the edge of everything we've been asking for. In This Episode • Why your mind gets loudest before a breakthrough • The reason we pull back when our dreams start feeling real • Why resistance is powerful information, not a reason to stop • How to use fear as feedback instead of letting it control your decisions • Why achieving bigger goals requires training the person holding them • The importance of preparing your mind, body and identity for your next level A Question Worth Sitting With What if the thing coming up right now isn't blocking you... What if it's showing you exactly what needs to be trained so you can have what you want? Continue The Conversation 🧠 The Unfair Advantage Private training for the human behind the success story. Designed to help you strengthen your mind, body, nervous system and identity so you can hold the bigger moments you're working towards. JOIN HERE 🎙️ Off The Record Powerful conversations that reveal what needs to shift so you can remain yourself while life asks more of you. JOIN HERE

July 1, 2026Episode 20621 min

S5 EP206 The Conversation Every Ambitious Woman Needs To Hear

The Conversation Every Ambitious Woman Needs To Hear What if the biggest thing standing between you and the life you want isn't a lack of strategy... but a lack of connection to yourself? In this solo episode, Emma explores a pattern she's seeing everywhere. Through conversations with founders, leaders, athletes and high achievers, one theme keeps coming up: "I don't feel like myself anymore." Not because they've failed. Quite often... Because they've succeeded. Together, we'll explore what happens when achievement becomes the focus, metrics become our measure of worth, and we slowly lose sight of the person we're doing it all for. In This Episode • Why Emma believes we're facing an epidemic of disconnection • How success can quietly pull us away from ourselves • The hidden cost of tying our worth to metrics • Why numbers can never answer questions of identity • Emma's own experience of chasing results while losing connection to herself • One simple question that could change the way you see your life A Question Worth Sitting With What have you stopped doing that used to make you feel like you? Not productive. Not successful. Not impressive. You. Continue The Conversation If this episode resonated with you, I'd love you to join me for Off The Record on 16th July . We're taking this conversation even deeper as we explore self-abandonment, disconnection and how to reconnect with yourself without giving up your ambition. Because maybe the next level isn't asking you to become someone else. Maybe it's asking you to come home to yourself. 🎟️ Off The Record

June 24, 2026Episode 20519 min

S5 EP205 We're Ghosting Ourselves And Calling It Success

We're Ghosting Ourselves And Calling It Success What if success isn't the problem? What if disconnection is? In this episode, Emma explores a pattern she's seeing everywhere right now. Successful people achieving the things they once dreamed of... Yet feeling further away from themselves than ever before. From businesses and careers to personal goals and everyday life, this conversation looks at what happens when achievement becomes the focus and connection to yourself quietly slips away. In This Episode • Why success can sometimes leave us feeling disconnected • The hidden cost of constantly measuring ourselves • How performance can replace presence • The danger of outsourcing your self-worth to a scoreboard • Why ambition isn't the problem • The question that could change everything A Question Worth Sitting With What have you stopped doing that used to make you feel like you? Not productive. Not successful. Not impressive. You. Continue The Conversation 🎙️ Off The Record Real conversations about the things shaping who we become. GET YOUR TICKET 🧠 The Unfair Advantage Private nervous system training designed to help you stay connected to yourself while life asks for more. JOIN HERE Enjoyed The Episode? Follow the podcast, leave a review and share this episode with someone who needs the reminder. Remain yourself while life asks for more.

June 17, 2026Episode 20455 min

S5 EP204 Embracing Perimenopause: Insights, Challenges & Positivity with Chrissie Hiller

Embracing Perimenopause: Insights, Challenges & Positivity What if you're not losing yourself? What if you're simply navigating one of the biggest transitions of your life? In this episode, Emma sits down with perimenopause and menopause expert Chrissie to explore the physical, emotional and identity shifts that so many women experience but few openly discuss. Together they unpack hormones, anxiety, HRT, self-trust, identity and how to move through this chapter feeling informed, empowered and supported. In This Episode • The early signs of perimenopause • Hormones, anxiety and emotional wellbeing • Understanding HRT and common misconceptions • Identity shifts and self-trust • Practical tools for navigating menopause • Why this chapter can become an opportunity, not a setback Connect With Chrissie Instagram Continue The Conversation 🎙️ Off The Record Real conversations that challenge how you see yourself, your life and what's possible. OFF THE RECORD 🧠 The Unfair Advantage Private nervous system training designed to help you build self-trust, emotional resilience and the capacity to hold bigger moments. The Unfair Advantage

June 10, 2026Episode 2021 hr 7 min

S5 EP203 NOBODY IS COMING TO PICK YOU with Elif Kose

NOBODY IS COMING TO PICK YOU ⚡ BEFORE YOU PRESS PLAY... At some point in our lives, most of us are taught to wait. Wait to be chosen. Wait to be invited. Wait to be discovered. Wait until we're ready. Wait until someone gives us permission. The problem? Some people spend their entire lives waiting. Waiting for confidence. Waiting for certainty. Waiting for someone else to tell them they're enough. This episode is a reminder that some of the most powerful things you'll ever create happen the moment you stop waiting and decide to choose yourself. 🎙️ IN THIS EPISODE Emma sits down with Elif for a conversation about courage, belonging, rejection, authenticity and what happened when she stopped waiting for permission and created her own stage. Inside this conversation: ✔ Why waiting to be chosen keeps people stuck ✔ The moment Elif realised nobody was coming to rescue her ✔ How creating your own opportunities changes your identity ✔ Why belonging starts with self-acceptance ✔ The hidden gap between external success and internal fulfilment ✔ How rejection can become redirection ✔ Why courage is built through action, not confidence ✔ The danger of outsourcing your worth to external validation ✔ What happens when you stop performing and start telling the truth ✔ Why the most powerful thing you can do is choose yourself ⚡ REBEL QUESTION Where in your life are you still waiting for permission? Permission to speak. Permission to start. Permission to be seen. Permission to change your mind. Permission to become who you already know you are. What would happen if you stopped waiting? 🧠 THE HUMAN BEHIND THE PERFORMANCE One of the most powerful moments in this conversation is the realisation that success doesn't automatically create belonging. Many people spend years chasing the next opportunity, the next achievement, the next milestone, believing it will finally make them feel enough. But belonging isn't created by being accepted by everyone else. It begins the moment you stop abandoning yourself. 🔥 WAYS TO GO DEEPER THE UNFAIR ADVANTAGE Private training for the human behind the performance. Designed to help you build pressure capacity, emotional resilience, nervous system regulation and the ability to hold bigger moments without collapsing under them. HERE OFF THE RECORD Live conversations exploring the stories, truths and experiences most people never share publicly. The conversations behind the performance. HERE THE WINNING EDGE Private coaching for people preparing for bigger rooms, bigger opportunities and bigger versions of themselves. DM ME ROOM STAY CONNECTED If we aren't connected already, come and say hello on Instagram @emmagibbsng and @unapologeticrebelpod ⭐ ENJOYED THIS EPISODE? Follow the show, leave a review and share this episode with someone who's tired of waiting for permission. Because sometimes the biggest shift in your life begins when you stop waiting to be chosen and choose yourself. 🎙️ Confessions of an Unapologetic Rebel Conversations about remaining yourself while life asks for more.