The Power to Choose - How leaders stop reacting & Start deciding, with Robbie Swale
Mon Feb 02 2026
I spoke with author and coach Robbie Swale about how leaders, coaches and experts can feel less overwhelmed and make clearer choices in complex times. His new book, The Power to Choose: Finding Calm and Connexion in a Complex World, is the backbone of our conversation.
It shows simple ways to shift perspective, use curiosity when you’re stuck, and choose what actually deserves your time. If you’re juggling difficult conversations, packed calendars and competing priorities, the ideas Robbie shares will help you decide and act with less friction.
Three key areas we cover
🔍 How perspective shapes everything
Most of us see the world through a default lens. Robbie uses the old woman / young woman optical illusion to show how the same situation can feel true in different ways. Try on another perspective and you’ll often find conflict softens and options appear.
🧭 Curiosity as the practical tool for stress and emotion
When you feel contraction or a strong emotion, curiosity is the move. Ask - what’s really going on here? That small pause creates space, slows reactivity and gives you room to choose.
⏱ Meaningful productivity - choosing what matters
Robbie’s Meaningful Productivity Blueprint reframes productivity for complex roles. Two concrete ideas we discuss - separate urgent from important, and use Warren Buffett’s 25 → circle 5 exercise to protect focus.
Three simple actions you can take today (Robbie’s amplifiers)\
🔁 Try the mental model - for one day, assume people are doing their best. Test it in two interactions and note the difference.
📥 Download the Meaningful Productivity Blueprint at robbieswale.com and complete one worksheet this week.
📝 Do Buffett’s 25 → list 25 goals/tasks, circle your top five, then treat the remaining 20 as your avoid-at-all-costs list for three months.
Where to follow Robbie
Everything starts at robbieswale.com
Apple Podcasts chapter markers
00:00:00 Intro - Why this episode matters
00:00:07 Robbie Swale - Guest intro and quick background
00:01:46 Who Robbie is - Leadership coaching and work focus
00:03:04 The Power to Choose - Why Robbie wrote the book
00:05:00 Perspectives - How our default lens shapes reality
00:08:02 The three-part framework - Choose, assume, be curious
00:10:01 Practical tools in the book - Questions and exercises
00:12:26 Tube story - Perspective in daily life
00:14:28 Manager inbox - Assume competence, not malice
00:16:26 Emotions vs perspective - Noticing the inner weather
00:19:39 Optical illusion - Seeing multiple truths at once
00:23:13 Polarisation - Complexity at scale and leadership impacts
00:29:58 Productivity reframed - Urgent vs important for leaders
00:32:54 Meaningful Productivity Blueprint - What it covers
00:36:55 Three amplifiers - Quick actions listeners can use
00:37:28 Amplifier 1 - Assume people are doing their best
00:38:49 Amplifier 2 - Download the Meaningful Productivity Blueprint
00:41:12 Amplifier 3 - Buffett 25 → circle 5 exercise explained
00:43:44 Saying no - Protecting your top five priorities
00:46:22 Where to find Robbie - robbieswale.com and podcasts
00:47:35 Outro - Final remarks and episode close
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It's the FREE roadmap to starting, scaling or just fixing your expert business.
www.amplifyme.agency/roadmap
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I spoke with author and coach Robbie Swale about how leaders, coaches and experts can feel less overwhelmed and make clearer choices in complex times. His new book, The Power to Choose: Finding Calm and Connexion in a Complex World, is the backbone of our conversation. It shows simple ways to shift perspective, use curiosity when you’re stuck, and choose what actually deserves your time. If you’re juggling difficult conversations, packed calendars and competing priorities, the ideas Robbie shares will help you decide and act with less friction. Three key areas we cover 🔍 How perspective shapes everything Most of us see the world through a default lens. Robbie uses the old woman / young woman optical illusion to show how the same situation can feel true in different ways. Try on another perspective and you’ll often find conflict softens and options appear. 🧭 Curiosity as the practical tool for stress and emotion When you feel contraction or a strong emotion, curiosity is the move. Ask - what’s really going on here? That small pause creates space, slows reactivity and gives you room to choose. ⏱ Meaningful productivity - choosing what matters Robbie’s Meaningful Productivity Blueprint reframes productivity for complex roles. Two concrete ideas we discuss - separate urgent from important, and use Warren Buffett’s 25 → circle 5 exercise to protect focus. Three simple actions you can take today (Robbie’s amplifiers)\ 🔁 Try the mental model - for one day, assume people are doing their best. Test it in two interactions and note the difference. 📥 Download the Meaningful Productivity Blueprint at robbieswale.com and complete one worksheet this week. 📝 Do Buffett’s 25 → list 25 goals/tasks, circle your top five, then treat the remaining 20 as your avoid-at-all-costs list for three months. Where to follow Robbie Everything starts at robbieswale.com Apple Podcasts chapter markers 00:00:00 Intro - Why this episode matters 00:00:07 Robbie Swale - Guest intro and quick background 00:01:46 Who Robbie is - Leadership coaching and work focus 00:03:04 The Power to Choose - Why Robbie wrote the book 00:05:00 Perspectives - How our default lens shapes reality 00:08:02 The three-part framework - Choose, assume, be curious 00:10:01 Practical tools in the book - Questions and exercises 00:12:26 Tube story - Perspective in daily life 00:14:28 Manager inbox - Assume competence, not malice 00:16:26 Emotions vs perspective - Noticing the inner weather 00:19:39 Optical illusion - Seeing multiple truths at once 00:23:13 Polarisation - Complexity at scale and leadership impacts 00:29:58 Productivity reframed - Urgent vs important for leaders 00:32:54 Meaningful Productivity Blueprint - What it covers 00:36:55 Three amplifiers - Quick actions listeners can use 00:37:28 Amplifier 1 - Assume people are doing their best 00:38:49 Amplifier 2 - Download the Meaningful Productivity Blueprint 00:41:12 Amplifier 3 - Buffett 25 → circle 5 exercise explained 00:43:44 Saying no - Protecting your top five priorities 00:46:22 Where to find Robbie - robbieswale.com and podcasts 00:47:35 Outro - Final remarks and episode close ---- Get your copy of my Personal Brand Business Blueprint It's the FREE roadmap to starting, scaling or just fixing your expert business. www.amplifyme.agency/roadmap ---- Subscribe to my Youtube!! Follow on Instagram and Twitter a href="http://instagram.com/bobgentle" rel="noopener noreferrer"...