
The CEOs Guide to Being Punched in the Face
From The Modern CEO by Joe Leech
September 10, 2025 · 33 min · Season 2 · Episode 2
About this episode
Joe Leech interviews Roan Lavery about the challenges and responsibilities of being a CEO.
Episode 2 — The CEO’s Guide to Being Punched in the Face (Metaphorically, Mostly) What does it really feel like to lead when the stakes are high, the spotlight’s on you, and everything’s breaking at once? In this episode of The Modern CEO, Joe sits down with Roan Lavery , CEO and co-founder of FreeAgent — a UK-based accounting software platform for small businesses. They talk about the real punches leaders take: the transition from co-founder to CEO, the weight of responsibility, and the difference between having opinions and actually leading the change. From building FreeAgent over 18 years to managing through chaos and calm, Roan shares raw, behind-the-scenes lessons every leader needs to hear.. Listen now and hit subscribe for unfiltered conversations on power, pressure, and presence of the Modern CEO.
People in this episode
Guest: Roan Lavery
Topics covered
- leadership
- responsibility
- entrepreneurship
- co-founder transition
Keywords
- FreeAgent
- accounting software
- small businesses
- leadership lessons
Mentioned in this episode
Products: FreeAgent
Books & works: The CEO’s Guide to Being Punched in the Face, The Modern CEO
Places: UK
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