Clowning Around Again

As the year draws to a close, are you giving yourself enough time to pause and reflect? In this short solo episode of Clowning Around Again , Em Stroud explores the power of taking a beat, reflecting with kindness and finding moments for yourself when life gets busy. With personal reflections, a little humour and a reminder that change doesn't have to wait until January, Em invites you to think ab...

What makes a great leader, and how do you create an environment where everyone has the chance to be brilliant? On this episode of Clowning Around Again, Em Stroud chats with Susan Douglas CBE, CEO of the Eden Academy Trust, about educational leadership, building trust and creating a culture where staff and young people feel valued and supported. Drawing on her experience in special education, SEND...

Who are we when life changes, our children grow older and the things that once defined us start to shift? On this episode of Clowning Around Again, Em Stroud is joined by Sharon Fasanya for a funny, thoughtful conversation about identity, turning 50 and rediscovering what matters at different stages of life. With 24 years of experience in infrastructure and two teenage boys, Sharon reflects on bal...

For years, Ali Spooner was trying to win approval from people she didn't even like. So what changed? On this episode of Clowning Around Again, Em Stroud chats with Ali, founder of Liberated Leadership, about breaking free from people-pleasing, trusting yourself and finding the confidence to be who you really are. Ali shares how a difficult period after leaving corporate life led her towards an une...

What does entrepreneurship actually look like beyond the success stories? On this episode of Clowning Around Again, Em Stroud is joined by Shalom Lloyd MBE to talk about entrepreneurship as a way of life, from leaving a 30-year corporate career and learning to live with risk and ambiguity to building purpose-led businesses across the UK and Africa. They get into the loneliness that can come with e...

Why can one sleep tip work brilliantly for one person and do absolutely nothing for another? On this episode of Clowning Around Again, Em Stroud is joined by sleep coach, author and professional speaker Beatrix A Schmidt to talk about insomnia, why sleep is deeply individual and why generic advice can only take us so far. Beatrix shares her own experience of developing insomnia in her twenties, wh...

What happens when people are already working at full capacity and leaders keep adding more change? On this episode of Clowning Around Again, Em Stroud is joined by leadership expert Graham Wilson to explore human capacity, high performance and what organisations can learn from elite sport and the military about recovery. They get into overwhelmed teams, why clarity matters when leading change, cre...

What does bravery actually look like when you're building something from scratch? In this episode of Clowning Around Again, Em Stroud talks to Louise Hill about building GoHenry, taking risks and learning to keep going when the answer is no. Louise shares how her parents gave her permission to fail, what repeated fundraising rejection taught her about knowing when to stop changing the pitch and st...

What if a career isn't a ladder to climb, but a creative extension of who you are and the contribution you want to make? On this episode of Clowning Around Again , Em Stroud is joined by Eleanor Ford to rethink what careers can actually look like when we move beyond linear paths, fixed job titles and inherited ideas of success. Drawing on Eleanor's experience as a founder, coach, systems thinker a...

What happens when the thing you love becomes your work, and how do you keep the passion alive? On this episode of Clowning Around Again , Em Stroud is joined by Nick Elston to explore passion, purpose and the choices that shape what we give our energy to. Drawing on Nick's work as a speaker and transformational speaking coach, they get into childhood ambitions, creativity, the emotional energy beh...

What does inclusion actually cost us when we get it wrong? On this episode of Clowning Around Again , Em Stroud is joined by Nadia Edwards-Dashti and Samantha Emery to explore the economics of inclusion and why this conversation belongs at the heart of business, not on the sidelines. Drawing on Nadia's experience in financial services recruitment and Samantha's perspective as a financial services...

What if better leadership starts not with having all the answers, but with asking better questions? In this episode of Clowning Around Again , Em Stroud is joined by Lucy Jeffrey for a lively conversation about leadership, learning and what it takes to keep growing when the world of work refuses to stand still. They explore curiosity, emotional intelligence, constructive conflict, psychological sa...

Twenty five years in Formula One teaches you a fair bit about what happens when a message lands and what happens when it really does not. This week on Clowning Around Again, Em Stroud is joined by Nicole Bearne, former Head of Internal Communication at the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, whose working life started at the British Embassy in Moscow as the Cold War was thawing. They get into...

Ever wondered why talking about money makes your whole body react? Em Stroud sits down with global speaker, author and money psychology expert Catherine Morgan for a conversation that starts with a simple question and ends up somewhere far deeper. Expect big laughs, a protector part named Elvis, a grandmother worth writing books about, and a genuinely fresh way of thinking about financial wellbein...

Ever wondered what happens when a double-chartered civil engineer swaps blueprints for drone flights and roller skates? This week on Clowning Around Again, Em Stroud sits down with the brilliantly curious Joe Flores, a Major Projects Director by day and a fearless explorer of drones, skating and clay shooting by, well, every other moment. From flying through the gaps of a viaduct to a very memorab...

Heat waves, mango orchards and a dairy farm floating on a river in Rotterdam. This week on Clowning Around Again, Em Stroud sits down with Dr Mansi Desai, an environmental and sustainability leader who has spent more than twenty years helping governments, businesses and communities balance growth with responsibility. Mansi builds her own ideal country out of the best bits of several others, explai...

This week on Clowning Around Again, Em Stroud gets honest about the gap between the bandwidth we think we have and the bandwidth we actually have. Short, warm and surprisingly relatable — this one might make you stop and take stock. EM'S SOCIAL LINKS YouTube: @TheComicCoach for complete video interviews TikTok: @emthecomic for clips and latest updates Website: emstroud.com

There are words we use in business every single day that are doing far more damage than we realise. This week on Clowning Around Again, Em Stroud sits down with Laura Fleming Schulte, B2B pipeline strategist and founder, who has spent over 20 years navigating life and business in a language that isn't her own. Together they explore what it really means to choose your words in business, why so much...

Bravery rarely announces itself, and this week on Clowning Around Again, Em Stroud sits down with the truly brilliant Maleena Pone to explore exactly that. From what it means to stay in a relationship with your own truth, to the quiet, defiant choices that define a brave life, this conversation goes deep in the most joyful and unexpected ways. Maleena brings warmth, wisdom and a wonderful clarity...

Em Stroud welcomes Jay Stansfield to Clowning Around Again for a joyful and honest conversation about creativity, what it truly means to live creatively, and why so many adults convince themselves they're "not creative." Jay shares how growing up in Lancashire with parents who simply wanted him to be happy gave him the freedom to become the artist, musician, and children's creator he is today. Em...

In this episode of Clowning Around, Em Stroud explores the theme of uncertainty and shares personal experiences and practical strategies for coping with it. Em emphasizes the importance of self-care practices such as breathing, journaling, play, and laughter to navigate through uncertain times. The conversation highlights how these practices can help individuals feel more grounded and connected, u...

Em Stroud welcomes Sarah Bennett-Nash for a lively conversation about impact, money, play and what it means to live and work with purpose. Sarah shares why impact begins with the small stuff, from a smile on the street to making people feel seen, before opening up about her move from corporate banking into entrepreneurship and the slower, more human process of building a business. Em and Sarah als...

In this engaging episode of Clowning Around Again , Em Stroud and Tanya discuss the concept of visibility, exploring its meaning and implications in personal and professional contexts. Tanya shares her insights on self-acceptance, empowerment, and the importance of humour in life. They also touch on the influence of music and iconic figures who embody visibility, as well as the evolving nature of...

Em Stroud is back with Clowning Around Again , a joyful podcast about laughter, play, big questions and finding pockets of lightness when life feels heavy. In this first solo episode, Em shares why she has brought the podcast back, what listeners can expect from the new series, and why clowning still matters to her. There will be brilliant guests, familiar questions, fresh themes, honest conversat...

If you're tired of heavy self-improvement and ready for something a little lighter, a little deeper, and a lot more human… welcome to Clowning Around Again . This is a space for laughter, honest conversations, and exploring what it really means to be human — without needing to have it all figured out. In this short intro episode, you'll get a feel for what's to come and why this podcast exists. Ne...