At Blend, we believe great leadership starts with curiosity, reflection, and learning from the experiences of others. In this Q&A, we sit down with Lisa Ardley-Price, Managing Legal Counsel at NatWest and Co-Founder of Channel Your Serenity, a holistic coaching service for leaders. Lisa shares her perspective on self-leadership, the importance of community, and how she’s helping leaders find balance and resilience in demanding times.
Is there a piece of advice, or a mantra that has served you well?
Good leadership starts with self leadership. If you want to serve others well you have to make sure that you are resourced to do so. You can’t pour from an empty cup, so find the things that fill yours and carve out the time to do them regularly so you are never too depleted to be the best version of you.
What’s something you’ve changed your mind about in your industry or role?
Ten years ago I moved from private practice to in-house legal and was told by a partner I was limiting my career but what I actually did was expand it. What I discovered is you don’t have to just be one thing. Personally, I thrive on variety and I’ve also found a common thread between the things I do that ensures they complement each other and my skills are transferable across them all. Whether I’m practising law, coaching and teaching, running my business, advising on a board or parenting, the key to success is good leadership.
What’s a leadership lesson you learned the hard way?
You don’t have to go it alone. For years I felt like I had something to prove, that I could pave a way for myself without any help and that would demonstrate how strong and capable I was. The result? Exhaustion and the brink of burn out. Why? Because that’s not leadership; no one person is meant to do everything. Good leaders bring in the best people to support them to create and achieve their vision; it’s about understanding different perspectives, learning from others and surrounding yourself with people that lift you up: which is where communities like Blend come in!
How do you tackle/prevent burnout?
A regular practice of self reflection and checking in with myself so I can pick up the signs – both physical and mental – early. This is why somatic work is integral to my coaching because the body truly keeps the score and is your best indicator of stress and overwhelm. I used to ignore my body and push through, telling myself my mind could overcome my body but it doesn’t really work that way and eventually, the stress will catch up with you. The sooner you can intervene and make some small changes that will rebalance and realign you, the better. For me, it’s something I tune into daily but also try to create more space for when I can as the ROI is significant.
Can you share with the community the details about any exciting upcoming projects?
Through my business, Channel Your Serenity, I’m thrilled to be running a variety of events over the Autumn to support clients to reconnect, realign and achieve their end of year goals. This includes a series of workshops in collaboration with the stunning Mandrake hotel in London, a one day retreat at Champneys, Hertfordshire and a weekend retreat at a gorgeous Norfolk farmhouse in October. All of these events are designed to help leaders and entrepreneurs to nourish themselves fully – body, mind and spirit – as I believe in a truly integrated and coherent approach to leadership, starting with self and expanding to others. I’m also continuing my own development with a leadership immersion and a new breathwork and meditation certification to close out the year.
Lisa’s reflections remind us that leadership isn’t about carrying everything on your own – it’s about building resilience, seeking support, and creating space to grow.
At Blend, we’re proud to share conversations like these that highlight the real challenges and lessons leaders are facing today.
