Mary Leonard

A business and executive coach helping FTSE-listed companies, private enterprises, and not-for-profits navigate change and achieve their goals.

[Mary Leonard @MaryLPuffin]

Lifelong learning is not about competing with other people; it is about expanding options & staying adaptable. The longer we delay investing in our development, the easier it can be to settle for what is familiar rather than pursue what is meaningful.

Growth requires intention!

[Justin Skycak @justinskycak]

Educational acceleration isn't a race against your peers. It's a race against time. The longer time gets ahead of you, the more likely you are to settle into a life that is fine, rather than the one you actually wanted.

[Mary Leonard @MaryLPuffin]

We can never change past decisions, but we can learn from them. Equally, while the future deserves thoughtful planning, it rarely unfolds exactly as expected.

What matters most is often the quality of the choices we make today and our ability to adapt as circumstances change!

[James Clear @JamesClear]

Be forgiving with your past self. What's done is done. No sense in beating yourself up about it.

Be strict with your present self. Win the moment in front of you right now.

Be flexible with your future self. There are many paths to success. You don't need life to be a certain way to live well.

[Mary Leonard @MaryLPuffin]

Resilience is often about how quickly we can reflect, learn and re-engage after a setback, without letting such a single moment define the rest of our day.

Progress is rarely linear. The ability to reset and move forward is an undervalued skill in both leadership and life!

[Sahil Bloom @SahilBloom]

Major cheat code for life: Master the art of the fresh start. From a bad morning. From a bad interaction. From a missed workout. From a poor decision. The goal isn't to avoid the fall. It's to shorten the time between the fall and the reset. Fast recovery compounds.

[Mary Leonard @MaryLPuffin]

@tailopez There is something liberating about recognising that seeking universal approval is an impossible goal. Most people’s attention moves on far more quickly than we imagine.

The more useful question is whether our choices reflect our values, priorities and sense of purpose!

[Mary Leonard @MaryLPuffin]

@readswithravi Continuous learning is one of the best investments we can make! Skills, knowledge and adaptability help us remain relevant in changing environments, while complacency can quietly become a risk over time.

The challenge is not knowing everything; it is maintaining curiosity!

[Mary Leonard @MaryLPuffin]

@justinskycak 💯 Attention is one of our most valuable resources because it shapes what we notice, prioritise & what we achieve. In a world designed to compete for our focus, being intentional about where we direct our attention is increasingly becoming a leadership skill in its own right!

[Mary Leonard @MaryLPuffin]

Urgency has become the default in many workplaces.

Everything is needed now and is important.

But when everything is urgent, prioritisation disappears.

And when prioritisation disappears, so does effectiveness.

Managing demand means challenging urgency, not absorbing it.

[Mary Leonard @MaryLPuffin]

Discipline can be powerful, as progress is rarely instantaneous, but effort applied over months (or years!) can alter outcomes that once seemed fixed.

The challenge is that many underestimate what is possible long term while overestimating what can be achieved short term.

[Tai Lopez @tailopez]

Two years of real discipline can undo a decade of bad decisions. Most people won't believe that until they see it.

[Mary Leonard @MaryLPuffin]

This 👇 resonates with my experience in leadership & personal development.

We often wait for certainty before acting, when in reality understanding tends to emerge through the doing, learning & adjusting. Clarity is frequently the result of movement, not the prerequisite for it!

[Reads with Ravi @readswithravi]

Rumi said “As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.”

Clarity doesn't come before action.

It comes from action.

[Mary Leonard @MaryLPuffin]

I’ve always been cautious about describing success as luck alone. What often looks like luck is frequently the result of curiosity, relationships, persistence and opportunities.

The more we learn, connect and contribute, the more likely we are to find possibilities!

[Mark Manson @Markmanson]

Luck doesn’t just happen, it’s created. You can do things to increase the odds of serendipity.

Meeting more people makes you lucky.
Learning more skills makes you lucky.
Being willing to fail makes you lucky.
Offering to help others more often makes you lucky.

[Mary Leonard @MaryLPuffin]

@ProfFeynman Absolutely! Asking questions, even at the risk of appearing uninformed, creates opportunities to learn, challenge assumptions and deepen understanding.

Most people know less than they think they do; the difference is whether they are willing to admit it.

[Mary Leonard @MaryLPuffin]

@garyvee Oh, I agree! Mindset is important because it influences how people interpret challenges, setbacks & opportunities. While it is not the only factor in success, the way we think often shapes whether we take action, persist through difficulty and remain open to learning and growth.

[Mary Leonard @MaryLPuffin]

@readswithravi 💯Achievement is often only the beginning, however. Sustaining success usually requires as much discipline, focus and intentionality as reaching it in the first place, while wisdom helps ensure growth remains purposeful rather than simply bigger.

[Mary Leonard @MaryLPuffin]

Burnout isn’t just about workload.

It’s about unmanaged demand.

My latest LinkedIn article on this topic: https://t.co/Ld56r8EKQO.

Mary Leonard
Executive Coach

#Leadership #MaryLeonard

[Mary Leonard @MaryLPuffin]

This @readswithravi post resonates with me!

Systems often matter because they reduce reliance on motivation alone. Consistent habits, routines and structures tend to create more sustainable progress over time than short bursts of intensity focused only on individual outcomes!

[Reads with Ravi @readswithravi]

“Goals are for people who care about winning once.

Systems are for people who care about winning repeatedly.”

— James Clear

[Mary Leonard @MaryLPuffin]

@CoachDanGo is right here 👇 Perspective can influence how people respond to setbacks & change. Reframing difficult experiences does not remove challenge, but it can create distance to see possibility, learning or redirection where there previously only seemed to be loss!

[Dan Go @CoachDanGo]

The biggest cheat code in life is reframing what things mean to you. Broke up with someone? The door is open for someone better. Lost your job? You can find a better one that suits your personality. Your mind is a meaning machine and your greatest superpower is pointing it in a productive direction.

[Mary Leonard @MaryLPuffin]

I like this post below from @garyvee.

Fear of judgement absolutely keeps many people smaller than they need to be. Most growth, change and fulfilment tends to require some willingness to be visible, uncertain and even imperfect along the way!

[Gary Vaynerchuk @garyvee]

You got one life. Do something with it. Don’t be scared. Don’t worry about people’s judgment. Live it!

[Mary Leonard @MaryLPuffin]

@AlexHormozi A foundation principle! Growth often creates discomfort, challenge & resistance (both internally and externally). That does not always mean the direction is wrong; sometimes it reflects the reality that progress tends to disrupt familiarity, expectations and established patterns.

[Mary Leonard @MaryLPuffin]

@jonbrosio Oh yes...Freedom in any meaningful sense often comes with a long period of uncertainty, effort & delayed reward! The difficult stages are usually less visible than the eventual outcome, which is why persistence becomes such an important differentiator over time:

Keep climbing!

[Mary Leonard @MaryLPuffin]

@garyvee I like this! One thing I have learned is that past success can be a useful reminder of capability, particularly during periods of doubt or setback. The circumstances may change, but experience often leaves people more resilient, informed and better equipped than they realise.