The Reframing Room

Laurie Tallack spent fifteen years in the RAF as a gunner and pilot before walking away at thirty-four to start a completely different life. He went to university to study English Literature in his 30s, then trained as a teacher, then took a detour into acting — studying drama at East 15 and directing his own plays in London. He spent nearly two decades teaching in further education before resigni...

Glass artist Clare Hack shares her surprising path from a childhood dream of Egyptology and a cancer diagnosis at 20 to discovering lampworking as therapy and founding Blue Flame Glass Studio. A bucket-list attempt at glasswork grew into a career making museum-quality bead replicas, teaching workshops, and supporting communities like schools and veterans. Clare reflects on resilience, the importan...

Actress and filmmaker Alexandra Boyd walks through a life of bold pivots — from musical theatre and TV roles (including Coronation Street) to decades in the US, a part in Titanic, and a late-career shift into directing, producing and writing. This episode covers her practical reinventions across countries and industries, the making of Widow’s Walk and The Ship of Dreams/Titanic Diaries...

Dr. Stephanie Hills tells the story of leaving a 25+ year Fortune 500 technology career after personal loss to launch an executive coaching and consulting business. At 61 she has coached over 100 tech leaders and now teaches professionals how to use AI as a career advantage. The episode covers her leadership during a company acquisition, the loneliness and failures of entrepreneurship, practical s...

Andy Lane, Professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology, shares his journey from boxer and lifeguard to academic leader and elite practitioner. He discusses working with athletes, navigating career transitions, and translating sport psychology tools into everyday resilience. Practical takeaways include identifying and regulating emotions, focusing on the next actionable step, using imagery and pacin...

Dr Ricardo (or Herb as he prefers to be called), grew up in the UK but moved to America at just 16. What followed was a 30-year journey across some fascinatingly different worlds — from consulting at Disneyland to mental health services, from his MBA and Doctorate to becoming a university business professor in Florida. In this episode, Herb shares the struggles of starting again in a new country a...

Hello, everyone. Welcome to The Reframing Room, a podcast for people facing major career transitions — redundancy, retirement, burnout or sudden change. Each episode features honest conversations with people who share the fear, doubt and identity wobble, plus what surprised them and what helped as they found a new sense of purpose. Hosted by leadership coach and former CEO Vicky Russ, episod...

Retired educator and coach Matt Haar, from Idaho, USA, reflects on 35 years in classrooms and locker rooms, sharing stories about culture, leadership, accountability, and the real work of shaping young people. He discusses choosing culture over talent, coaching parents as well as players, and why letting people fail is essential to learning. The conversation offers practical takeaways for leaders,...

My guest Nicole Lancashire shares how two redundancies after a 20-year career as an executive assistant pushed her to build an online personal-development business and move from Australia to the UK. She explains how skills developed from supporting leaders—operations, project management and emotional intelligence—helped her become an entrepreneur, and how a daily routine of journaling,...