Speaking for ourselves

In this podcast episode, I’m joined by Dr Nichola Ashby for an honest and thoughtful conversation about leadership journeys — especially the ones that don’t begin with a clear destination in mind. Many leaders don’t set out knowing exactly where they’re heading. They learn, adapt, stumble, recalibrate — and grow into leadership through experience rather than intention. This episode explores Nicky'...

Sometimes we don't always end up where we predicted. Our journeys in life so far have been shaped by many things - some driven by ourselves, others as a result of evens we had no control over. But in true lioness style - it is HOW we travel that can determine our achievements as well as our final destination. Our Internal leadership - the stories we choose to tell ourselves are key to this. In thi...

I'm so excited about this one! Through #BlackHistoryMonth2025 I have been talking about leadership, within this year's theme of "standing strong in power and pride"Well my next podcast guest is the epitome of exactly that. I had the pleasure of speaking with Jacynth Ivey MBE - truly a woman who leads with integrity and delivers impact. if you have listened to our previous LinkedI...

In this episode I am speaking with the force of nature that is Melanie Alveranga. Melanie is true testament to the strength of the lioness "Power doesn't always need to ROAR!" Together we explore a truth that often gets pushed aside in the busyness of life: the importance of making time for yourself. Like the lioness in the wild, there is power in pausing, conserving your energy, and...

🎙️ Standing in your power as a Lioness – In this episode, I speak with the inspiring Parveen Smith about courage, resilience, and staying true to yourself through life’s twists and turns. Like the lioness in the wild, leadership isn’t about avoiding challenges, but finding the bravery to face them and grow. Every act of courage, big or small, is a gift to yourself and others. 👉 Listen now for an...

Today, let's celebrate bravery —the courage to step out of our comfort zones, to take on new challenges, and to stand up for what we believe in. it all sounds good - but then there is the difficult question we ask ourselves as leaders and business owners - AM I BRAVE?? This is something I discuss with my next fabulous podcast guest 🧠 Caroline Pankhurst ❤️‍🔥 - In our discussion and musings we...

Life does not always work out the way we thought it would. We often set out with a vague plan of what we would like to do or achieve in our lives – the work we would like to do, how we live our lives or simply the way we wish to ‘BE’. Surprisingly. when things are not working for us - we are likely to limit what we say, remain silent and quietly continue on the path we are on. Even the most succes...

Do you have enough? What a strange question you may say - enough of what? Time? Happiness? Space?....Money? - For most of us the biggest challenge in that question is actually deciding WHAT ENOUGH ACTUALLY IS - no matter what we focus on. The answer is often bound up with what we THINK our life should be like. The challenge is that much of what has influenced our thinking about our lives is not on...

Which of your past experiences or has impacted you the MOST? For most of us the biggest challenge in that question is actually deciding WHICH of our many memories to choose. Our choices and reflections today are made up of a range of events and our emotions - how we feel about those events - in fact, usually by the time we reach adulthood, we possibly have forgotten more things than we remember. O...

What does your outfit say about you today? I don't know about you, but since lockdown my wardrobe has changed. All those zoom meetings got me thinking about which 'tops' to wear and less about how my overall 'look' was - cue smart blouses and comfortable trousers! (ok leggings!!) Our clothes are a reflection of ourselves, our outlook and how we are feeling that day - but have y...

My mother used to say "we are all here just passing through" and that is very true. Life has a way of challenging us, lifting us and asking us to occasionally reflect on where we are headed - and why. We never really know for sure what will happen, but having a purpose and a direction certainly help - our past, present and future aspirations are only part of the story. At some point we a...

Life happens....in unexpected ways. We are sometimes unaware of the lasting impacts of the events that occur...The ripple effects can last far beyond the experience of the event itself, sometimes catching us out, reminding us that we still have unresolved issues to address or challenges to face. The consequences and impacts of these changes may change our lives in ways we could not have imagined a...

For many of us, The last month of the year is when we spend more time with family and friends....for others of us, we may spend time on our own. Whether with others or on our own, This is a time for RELATIONSHIPS. Relationships are central to our human experience .....and indeed what makes us...'US' When we think about relationships - what works, which ones sustain us - or otherwise - it's easy to...

We are familiar with the phrase 'life is a journey, not a destination" and that's true. No one really knows which paths their life will take and which opportunities will come their way. But the distances we travel are measure in more than miles - life is a journey of becoming.. passing through phases of development marked by fortune misfortune and chances taken. As we move through our experiences...

As we travel through life we learn about ourselves and where we belong, through the the experiences we have and choices we make. All of this leads to our sense of identity, what we are here to do, what contributions we make to the world.... Our purpose in life often takes time to become known to us - life itself 'gets in the way'. But eventually we reach a space where we think about our place in t...

Sometimes in life things don't go as planned...the dreams we had as youngsters may be changed or impacts by what happens to us.  At these times we may feel tired and we can feel that it's just too hard. However, it is rare that our potential to achieve or to regain a different version of our futures, is ever truly lost. Sometimes we just need to pivot. Pivoting requires us to harness our gift...

Do you have a life plan? How did you come to be where you are now? These are questions we are often asked - or ask ourselves. In reality, few of us (me included) are where we imagined our life would take us. Experiencing the ups and downs, the twists and turns that come our way, is something we all share as human beings. In reality, it is not the 'unpredictable' nature of life's journey that disti...

Life Transitions: Illness, identity, loss and growth....These are natural and normal part of being human. Transitions come in many guises - social, emotional and physical. Sometimes we expect these stages to happen in certain ways, and they do. At other times we are caught off-guard....blindsided even...and in those instances we can feel a range of feelings including being alienated in our own lif...

We all have people we admire, those who inspire us at different times in our lives....it's easy to see them at the 'top' of their game or career and believe that they were 'lucky'  - Often our heroes only become known to us at that point. Success in any field usually results not from simple 'luck' but from talent, perseverance and the ability to keep going, keep striving even when no-one is w...

Life happens... As human beings we have a life plan, sometimes expressed and shared, and sometimes just known to ourselves.  No matter who we are, sometimes life does not go the way we planned. However one of our enduring strengths as human beings is our ability to continue to move on, move upwards and to change our destiny - through our own actions.  Today I am speaking with an extraord...

This week has been National Fertility Awareness week in the UK - One week in which we are encouraged to focus on the challenges of living with infertility and those living with fertility concerns. In a world in which we are often defined  by our ability to reproduce, to bear the next generation , finding that this is not as straight forward as we imagined - or even choosing not to do so, can...

Often, in life we spend a lot of time working out what is the right thing to say, and when to say it!..Trying to present the best of ourselves at all times - but in doing this we often filter out what makes us truly ourselves, our authentic selves...that part of us which is the greatest gift to the world. In this podcast I speak with Rob Green - singer songwriter, inspirational artist....and my so...

Why we do things is such an interesting question - and one which I am asked many times. What drives us to do the things e do - and keeps us doing them over time and through the ups and downs of life? in this podcast I was interviewed by Amy Rowlinson as part of her podcast series "Focus on Why" it was an illuminating and enjoyable discussion - Amy was easy to talk to and a skilled interviewer in e...

2021...it has never been more important to listen to diverse stories and hear the stories 'hidden in plain sight'. Here is the first of my new monthly podcasts in my "Speaking for Ourselves" series....My enlightening, inspiring and insightful conversations with my fabulous guests - This month, I start off by 'Speaking with' Maxine Blake ....Retired teacher and newly published Author of "Don't Poo...

This week I spoke with Sara J. Sanderson, Co-founder of When Women Speak Global Network CIC for a stimulating discussion on self leadership, diversity and speaking for ourselves.  Sara's focus on 'when women speak' epitomises the focus of my own podcast; Speaking for ourselves and about ourselves is often the catalyst for others' actions....we have a duty to share our stories.  Listen to our podca...