About James Russell

What’s stopping you?

That question has shaped my life more than any other. At 17, I was set on becoming an RAF pilot. Thirty years later, I’m living my best life as an executive coach and change adviser - helping leaders face the hidden barriers that hold them back and move forward with clarity and conviction.

My career highlights

For over 27 years I’ve worked in senior commercial, transformation, and director roles across manufacturing, financial services, and technology. Along the way I’ve:

• Led the turnaround of bluecycle.com as Managing Director

• Directed two major corporate transformation programmes (£100m+)

• Founded Brisk, an insurtech start‑up to build resilience in small businesses

• Qualified as an ICF‑accredited coach and Transactional Analyst

• Set up Lead To Change Consulting Ltd in 2024

• Launched We.Are.Powerful.org in 2025

I’ve managed key accounts for Ford, GM, and Honda and led teams of up to 500 people. I’ve built businesses from scratch and helped established organisations reinvent themselves. Each role taught me the same lesson: transformation is never just about strategy or process - it’s about people.

Why coaching

In 2018 I qualified as a coach, combining my commercial experience with a passion for unlocking hidden potential in people. My approach goes deeper than surface‑level training. I help leaders uncover what’s really in the way, reset the beliefs that quietly hold them back, and step forward with confidence.

The leaders I work with rediscover clarity, protect their credibility, and unlock the potential in themselves and their teams — creating cultures where people thrive and results last.

My own turning point

My career once plateaued. I became the “trouble‑shooter,” moving from one struggling department to the next. I was good at it, but underneath I felt stuck and frustrated.

During a restructure, a COO asked me a question I’ll never forget: “If money was no issue, what would you do?” “Launch a business,” I replied. “So what’s stopping you?”

That challenge — and later, being coached myself — helped me see the beliefs that were holding me back. In 2017 I entered a Hackathon with an idea. Putting myself out there felt like I had nothing to lose. That step changed everything.

Today

I now work as a coach, trainer, and consultant, supporting individuals and organisations to accelerate change and build confident, high‑performing teams. I live in Norfolk with my wife, our two children, and our Labrador, Lottie.