The Brave Next Step

In this episode, I’m reflecting on a few milestones that stopped me in my tracks, ten years since leaving corporate employment, the end of the first quarter of 2026, and the realisation that both have stirred up more reflection than I expected. I talk about burnout, identity, purpose and what I have learned about myself through stepping away from employment and building something of my own. I also...

In this episode, I’m talking about something so many leaders wrestle with, challenging conversations. The ones we know we need to have, but would often rather avoid. I explore why we so often frame these moments as a choice between honesty and kindness, when actually the most effective leadership asks for both. I also get into what really makes these conversations feel hard, from fear of conflict...

In this episode, I’m reflecting on resilience from a deeply personal angle, after a sudden change of plans gave me an unexpected week back. I talk about the pressure so many of us feel to fill every spare moment with work, and the quiet but important choice to do something different instead. It became a real test of boundaries, self-trust and what resilience actually asks of us. I also unpack why...

In this episode, I’m talking about something that can feel surprisingly uncomfortable, silence. Not the awkward kind we rush to fill, but the kind that creates space for better thinking, deeper reflection and more honest conversations. I explore why so many of us treat silence like something has gone wrong, when actually it can be one of the most useful tools we have as leaders. I also share how s...

In this episode, I’m joined by Steve Hoblyn for a thoughtful, honest conversation about leadership, mental health, and what happens when life forces us to stop pretending we’re fine. We talk about burnout, identity, recovery, and why so many workplaces still reach for surface-level fixes when what people actually need is real human connection. We also get into the power of slowing down, asking bet...

Changing your boundaries at work can feel surprisingly uncomfortable, not just for you but for the entire organisation around you. In this episode, I explore what actually happens when a leader shifts their boundaries and why systems often resist that change. Using ideas from open systems theory, we look at how organisations instinctively try to restore their previous equilibrium when behaviour ch...

Last week, I explored boundaries from a personal perspective. This time, I’m widening the lens and looking at what boundaries really mean when you’re leading a team or a function. Because whether we realise it or not, we are always standing at an interface. Between teams. Between expectations. Between pressure and performance. In this episode, I talk about input gates, output gates, scope creep, a...

I realised, slightly to my surprise, that we had never recorded a dedicated episode on boundaries. Considering how often this shows up in my work with leaders and HR professionals, it felt well overdue. So this is part one of a deeper exploration into how boundaries shape the way we lead, grow, and protect what really matters. In this episode, I share a simple systems theory lens to help you think...

In this episode, I’m joined by Jenny Burns, CEO of Magnetic, for an honest and energising conversation about what it really means to “accidentally” step into the CEO role. Jenny shares her journey from big corporates to running a design and innovation business, and why she never actually set out to become a CEO. We talk about the myth of readiness, why avoidance quietly sabotages leaders, and how...

This is part two of my exploration into dependency, and this time I’m approaching it through a psychodynamic lens. I reflect on how our earliest experiences of care and survival shape the way we relate to dependency as adults, and how those patterns quietly show up in leadership, teams, and organisations. I also share some personal reflections on how dependency can surface under pressure, why some...

This episode came straight from real life. As I watched my son move from dependence to independence, it made me pause and reflect on how dependency shows up in leadership and in the workplace. What we expect from others, what we take on ourselves, and how easily those patterns shift without us really noticing. I explore dependency through an emotional intelligence lens and look at why interdepende...

I sat down with Gabe Winn, founder of Blakeney, and honestly, his career path is a full plot twist marathon. Actor dreams, Accenture, game ranger training in Zimbabwe, then yes, a BBC show that involved being trained like a spy, and somehow it all makes sense once you hear how he thinks about people, purpose, and influence. We get into the courage it takes to call out what’s wrong (especially when...

This week I noticed something fascinating, I had several client conversations that all circled the same frustration: “My people just aren’t doing what I need them to do.” And I get it, that feeling can turn into pure exhaustion, and then resignation. So today I’m talking about the part we usually skip, the connection between what you do and how others respond. If you want new behaviours in your te...

I’m back with a more personal episode, sharing the self-reflection I’ve been doing over the last few months and the question that’s been steering it all: what do I need in place to do my best work? After an intense stretch of travel and back-to-back client weeks, I realised I was running on fumes, and that’s not the energy I want to bring into the room. I talk about why reflection builds resilienc...

As we step into a new year, I wanted to pause and challenge the way we think about New Year’s resolutions. I share why I am not a huge fan of big, dramatic goals set in January, and why so many of them quietly fall away by the end of the month. This episode is about reframing resolutions as habits, and giving yourself permission to start, stop, adjust and recommit without judgement. I also reflect...

As we close out 2025, I wanted to slow things down and talk about gratitude, not in a cliched end of year way, but as a real, everyday leadership practice.  I share research that shaped my own thinking, showing how much more weight negative thoughts and interactions hold compared to positive ones. Understanding this has changed the way I speak to myself and the way I show up for others. In th...

This episode is a little different, because instead of sharing my reflections, I am handing the space over to you. As we reach the end of the year, it is the perfect moment to pause, look back and make sense of what shaped you as a leader in 2025. Reflection is one of the strongest predictors of leadership growth, yet it is the habit most people skip when the pace picks up. Across twelve thoughtfu...

I loved recording this one because it is such a classic leadership trap. We rush straight into the topic, full of energy and opinions, but skip the one thing that would actually help us reach a decision.  This episode came from a real moment on a rugby club committee where an innocent line in a terms of reference opened up a bigger question about what collective decision making truly means. I...

In this episode, I reflect on something sparked by my son's athlete review and how the four part athlete development model mirrors the gaps we often leave in our own leadership growth.  We are brilliant at focusing on skills, outcomes and delivery, but far less disciplined when it comes to the mental and emotional fitness that actually keeps us performing well. I share my own experiences with...

This episode starts with a moment at Twickenham that completely caught me off guard and ended up teaching me more about leadership than I expected.  I was there to enjoy the Rugby match, not to learn a lesson, but what happened in those first few minutes made me stop and think about expectations, assumptions and how easy it is to react before you truly understand what is going on. It reminded...

In this episode, I wanted to open up a conversation that has been pressing on my mind for months.  So many HR leaders are running on empty, holding the emotional weight of organisations while feeling they have nowhere safe to take their own challenges.  When I read the latest figures showing just how many people professionals are close to burnout and simply getting on with it, I knew we...

In this episode, I sit down with consultant, coach and author Steve Hearsum to talk about the uncomfortable realities of leadership, change and why there really isn’t a “fix it fast” solution for complex problems.  We dig into his book There’s No Silver Bullet and explore why the need for certainty often stops leaders from doing the deeper, inner work that actually matters. It’s a conversatio...

This week, I want to speak directly to the CEOs and managing directors out there - and honestly, to anyone leading a business.  How often do you check in on your HR leader? Not just on their workload, but on their wellbeing? HR carries an invisible weight that so often goes unseen. They hold space for everyone else through restructures, grievances and endless waves of organisational change, b...

What kind of leader are you when no one’s watching?  In this episode, I’m talking about what it really means to lead from within - starting with who you are, what you stand for, and the values that shape your decisions.  I share the story of how a misalignment between my personal values and my corporate role pushed me to make one of the biggest pivots of my life, and how clarity on my va...

In this episode, I share a few powerful leadership lessons inspired by my recent trip to India. What began as a family adventure turned into an unexpected reflection on culture, adaptation, and legacy.  From the overwhelming chaos of the streets to the quiet brilliance of the Taj Mahal, I found myself thinking deeply about what it means to lead, to adapt, and to leave something meaningful beh...