Communication broke down. Decisions were avoided. Confidence wavered. Teams struggled with trust, accountability, and ownership.

But the more she observed these challenges — both in others and in herself — the clearer something became.

The issue wasn’t that people didn’t care or weren’t capable.

The issue was awareness.

Over decades of working with business owners, executives, and leadership teams, Mags began to see clear behavioural patterns emerge. She noticed that when people felt under pressure, their thinking and behaviour tended to move in one of two directions.

Sometimes people would respond by “bigging it up” — moving into control, judgment, and trying to force outcomes.

Other times, they would “belittle” themselves — slipping into blame, self-doubt, or a victim mindset.

Both reactions were driven by the same thing: an unbalanced ego trying to protect itself.

And both reactions pulled people away from their natural clarity, confidence, and ability to lead effectively.

This realisation eventually led to a breakthrough moment.

While developing ways to help clients understand these behavioural patterns, Mags visualised what she now calls the LeadingME® Ladder of Leadership.

At first, the ladder went up.
Then it went down.

But eventually she realised something far more powerful.

The ladder actually moves across.

From both sides of the ladder — whether someone is operating from control and judgement or blame and victim thinking — the path back to effective leadership is the same: returning to the balanced centre.

That centre is LeadingME®.

From this place of balance, individuals become what Mags calls “response-able” — able to see situations clearly, take responsibility for their reactions, and choose behaviours that create better outcomes.

Over time, the insights and tools Mags developed through thousands of coaching conversations evolved into a complete leadership approach — the LeadingME® Method, a new paradigm in leadership that starts with leading oneself first.

Alongside the LeadingME® Ladder of Leadership, Mags developed several practical frameworks that support behavioural change, including Decision Making Made Easy™, The BAR Model®, and The 4R’s Release Model®, which helps individuals silence the inner critic and shift limiting thought patterns.

Today, Mags Bell is an international speaker, author of What The Bleep Is Coaching?, master coach, and founder of Creating Powerful Results.

With more than 30 years of speaking and leadership experience and over 70,000 hours coaching leaders at every level, she is known for delivering engaging, honest, and thought-provoking presentations that combine humour, real-life stories, and practical tools audiences can immediately apply.

Her work has helped thousands of individuals break free from limiting behavioural patterns, reconnect with their values, and lead with greater clarity, confidence, and authenticity.

But at the heart of Mags’ work is a simple truth she discovered through years of observing human behaviour:

Most people don’t need fixing.
They simply need help remembering who they truly are.

Originally from Scotland and now based on Australia’s Gold Coast, Mags brings warmth, insight, and a distinctive Scottish accent to every keynote, workshop and coaching engagement.

Her message is simple, powerful, and deeply relevant in today’s leadership landscape:

If you want others to follow you, the first person you must learn to lead is yourself.