Amanda Salt: From Tomboy to Trailblazer—Rewriting the Rules of Leadership
Season 1 | Episode 7 - Places She Shapes with Zoe Smeeth
When Amanda Salt was four years old, she made headlines for protesting the fact that girls weren’t allowed in the Scouts. That same determined energy has powered her through a winding, unpredictable, and inspiring career—one that’s been shaped as much by risk as by restraint.
In this episode of Places She Shapes, Amanda joins me at Abbey Road Studios for an incredibly candid conversation about life, leadership, and learning to stop chasing dopamine… sometimes. From launching her own business (twice), to burning out, to selling up and swearing she’d never work for anyone else again—only to be pulled back in by one surprisingly good cup of coffee—Amanda has never followed a conventional path.
She talks openly about the financial instability of her childhood, the impact of her father’s bankruptcy, and the weight of the inner voice that still tells her to play it safe. We also dive into the late-in-life ADHD diagnosis that finally helped explain decades of career choices, emotional patterns, and a need for constant challenge that wasn’t just ambition—it was biology.
Amanda shares how a random conversation led to a pivotal opportunity, why “let them” is the best advice she’s ever received, and how she’s finally found peace in a leadership role by reimagining it not as “being in charge” but as “helping others go further.”
This episode is a reminder that we don’t always shape our careers with master plans. Sometimes we just follow the pull of what feels right, trust our instincts, and course-correct as we go.
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✌️ Hosted by Zoe Smeeth from Abbey Road Studios