Accidentally Brilliant

11. Building Unshakeable Confidence with Advita Patel

06 Mar 2026

Audio

Description

This episode of Accidentally Brilliant is one of the most personal conversations we’ve had on the podcast. Josh Wheeler speaks with Advita Patel, founder of CommsRebel and the former President of the CIPR. Advita has spent more than twenty years working in communications, helping organisations build cultures where people feel they belong and can thrive. The work she does today grew from a difficult moment in her own career. In 2018, her confidence collapsed. She began questioning her place in the profession and whether communications was the right path for her at all. That period forced her to step back and understand who she was, what mattered to her, and how confidence actually works. The conversation moves well beyond personal confidence. Advita talks about representation in the communications industry and why she helped create A Leader Like Me and the Asian Comms Network. These spaces exist because many people in the profession still feel they have nowhere to talk openly about race, identity and belonging. We also discuss the wider events shaping those conversations. The global response to the murder of George Floyd. The protests and tensions seen more recently in the UK. The emotional impact these moments have on people working in communications and the silence that often follows in the industry. Advita reflects on the responsibility communicators hold. We help shape narratives, advise leadership teams and influence culture inside organisations. That responsibility becomes very real when difficult issues affect the people around us. This episode covers: the confidence crash that changed Advita’s career the link between identity, confidence and imposter syndrome representation and belonging in the communications industry how racism and political division affect people in the profession why many professionals struggle to speak up about difficult issues the small actions that can make someone feel seen and supported At its heart this is a conversation about confidence, courage and responsibility. It is also about something simple that many of us forget to do. Checking in on people and asking how they are really doing. 00:00 Intro 00:04 Meet Advita Patel, CommsRebel and CIPR President 01:16 Confidence, vulnerability and showing up on LinkedIn 01:41 The 2018 confidence crash that changed everything 02:25 A difficult conversation that forced a turning point 03:32 Researching confidence, imposter syndrome and inner critics 04:01 The influence of Shonda Rhimes and “The Year of Yes” 04:56 Why worrying about other people’s opinions holds us back 05:57 Competing with others vs competing with yourself 06:04 Advice for anyone facing a confidence crash 07:22 How other people shape our identity growing up 07:50 “Who am I really?” — unpicking expectations 09:01 Why understanding yourself is the foundation of confidence 10:21 Mental health, therapy and learning to look after yourself 10:37 When work becomes your identity 11:54 Treating yourself with the same compassion as others 12:24 Adapting to belong without breaking yourself 12:42 Why connection and empathy are disappearing 13:44 Cognitive diversity and avoiding echo chambers 13:53 Fear, vulnerability and sharing online 14:47 Representation and creating spaces for belonging 15:03 Why Advita co-founded A Leader Like Me 16:22 The impact of George Floyd on diversity conversations 17:46 Why the Asian Comms Network was created 19:14 Lived experience and the reality of microaggressions 20:23 Why conversations about racism are often avoided 22:22 Power, politics and uncomfortable industry conversations 23:34 Why politics affects the people we work with 24:46 Speaking up, allyship and finding your voice 26:16 Why we’ve lost the ability to connect and debate 27:32 The fear of getting things wrong in public conversations 28:35 Why communicators must understand opposing views 29:09 Community, identity and checking in on people 30:24 Why humans naturally gravitate towards similarity 31:38 Bias, safety and how our brains work 32:26 The power communications professionals hold 32:47 The emotional impact of recent events on communities 34:07 Living with fear and the daily reality for many people 35:02 Hope over fear and using your privilege to help others 36:06 Becoming the first person of colour to lead the CIPR 37:14 Using privilege to create space for others 38:03 Why intent matters in difficult conversations 39:19 When mistakes happen — and how to respond 40:24 “Where are you really from?” — navigating everyday bias 41:31 Curiosity as the starting point for allyship 42:58 Different ways to show allyship 43:39 The simple power of checking in on someone 44:32 Why difficult topics often get avoided 45:02 One action everyone can take tomorrow 46:04 Confidence as a ripple effect 46:50 The thread through Advita’s career: confidence and inclusion 48:08 An “accidentally brilliant” moment — Couch to 5K 49:18 Closing thoughts

Transcription

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet

Help us prioritize this episode for transcription by upvoting it.

0 upvotes

🗳️ Sign in to Upvote

Popular episodes get transcribed faster

Other recent transcribed episodes

Transcribed and ready to explore now

3ª PARTE | 17 DIC 2025 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

01 Jan 1970

El Partidazo de COPE

13:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

12:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

10:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

13:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

12:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

Comments

There are no comments yet.

Please log in to write the first comment.

Report any issue

Accidentally Brilliant

11. Building Unshakeable Confidence with Advita Patel

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet

Other recent transcribed episodes

3ª PARTE | 17 DIC 2025 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

13:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

12:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

10:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

13:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

12:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

Sign in to Audioscrape

Share this moment