Manage What Matters

Dave James is a speaker coach, professional speaker and host based in the UK. He works with individuals, leaders and entrepreneurs who know they've got something important to say but haven't yet found a way to say it in a way that feels like them. His TEDx talk, "What Mindfulness and Meditation Can Do for Men," was selected as a TEDx Editor's Pick and has been viewed nearly 22,000 times. It draws...

Host Jackie Handy introduces her new book 'The Matter Model' and discusses the problem of workplace unhappiness, the diagnostic tool, and the structure of the book. The book focuses on workplace engagement, belonging, and purpose, providing a comprehensive guide for leaders and HR professionals to create positive change in the workplace. Order your copy at Routledge.com, Amazon or wherever you buy...

Adrienne Gibson is a global consultant, speaker, facilitator and executive coach with over two decades of experience working with organisations across more than 100 countries to transform cultures, lead change and bring out the best in their people. She specialises in peeling back what isn't working to reveal what's true and aligned underneath - creating the clarity, connection and sense of purpos...

The episode explores the significance of emotional intelligence in leadership, its challenges, and practical ways to develop and apply emotional intelligence. In this solo episode, host Jackie Handy shares the impact of emotional intelligence on trust, communication, and team culture, as well as its role in creating a sense of belonging and mattering within an organisation. Want to help your team...

Suzy Sanders, founder of Alchemy Virtual Assistance UK, shares her journey from employee to entrepreneur, the challenges faced by leaders, and the importance of appropriate vulnerability and playful curiosity. The conversation explores the transition from employee to entrepreneur, the challenges faced by leaders, the significance of appropriate vulnerability and playful curiosity, and reframing le...

In this solo episode, host Jackie Handy discusses the impact of pressure in the workplace and how it shapes leadership and team dynamics. She shares the importance of clarity, attention, and respect under pressure, and provides insights on how to navigate pressure effectively as a leader or individual contributor. Want to connect? Find Jackie on LinkedIn here Or check out her website here Take the...

In this episode of Manage What Matters, Marina Ibrahim explores one of the most overlooked leadership challenges in today’s workplaces: not a lack of motivation, but a lack of understanding. Drawing on her experience working with multicultural teams, Marina shares how accents, assumptions, and cultural differences shape the way we interpret behaviour – and how misinterpretation can quietly impact...

In this solo episode, Jackie Handy discusses the topic of resilience and its importance in the workplace. She explores the concept of resilience, its connection to the Matter Model, factors affecting resilience, creating resilient environments, and the role of leadership in building resilience. Takeaways Resilience is shaped by the environment and is influenced by factors such as support, clarity,...

Sarah Stones is a Motivation Specialist, speaker, and founder of Plain Sailing Motivation. With over 20 years’ experience in HR, she helps people understand what drives their energy so they can think clearly, perform at their best, and protect their wellbeing. Her work brings practical insight into motivation, helping people move forward with confidence, clarity, and purpose. The conversation with...

In this solo episode, host Jackie Handy discusses the nature of change and the human experience of change. She shares the importance of leaders supporting their teams through change and provides practical tips for doing so. Takeaways Change is unsettling and constant Leaders need to support their teams through change Chapters 00:00 Supporting Teams Through Change

Ian Hawkins, a speaking and storytelling coach, joins host Jackie Handy to share insights on the impact of fear on speaking and storytelling, the importance of speaking in leadership, the role of storytelling in corporate presenting, finding stories in everyday decision-making, the power of stories in changing perspectives, and key principles of speaking and storytelling. Takeaways Fear is a signi...

In this solo episode, host Jackie Handy discusses the importance of good leadership communication, common mistakes made in leadership communication, factors affecting communication, and strategies for improving leadership communication. The key takeaways include the importance of effective communication in leadership and the tendency to over-communicate information while under-communicating its me...

Today's episode introduces Karen Mills, a Business Psychologist, entrepreneur and academic based in the West Midlands, UK. Karen brings a powerful combination of psychological expertise and real-world leadership experience, particularly in the social care sector. She’s Director of Business and Strategy at the Psychology Business Incubator, where she helps psychologists around the world turn their...

The episode discusses the Gallup State of the Global Workplace Report 2026, highlighting the decline in global workforce engagement and the impact on managers. It discusses the importance of managerial engagement and its impact on team engagement, as well as the concept of the four zones of work. The episode concludes with a call to action for listeners to continue to focus on what matters in thei...

Brooke Bownes is an accredited trauma coach, therapist, global No.1 bestselling author and speaker. She works with businesswomen who struggle with feeling stuck and beliefs that are holding them back, helping them find their power, confidence and release any limiting beliefs, so they can lead themselves and others.   Brooke is passionate about this as she once felt powerless & was scared to sh...

In this episode, host Jackie Handy discusses the concept of Million Dollar Moments® in more detail, and their impact on workplace engagement and performance. She emphasises the power of small, intentional actions and behaviours, providing practical examples for people leaders to apply with themselves and their team members. The episode explores the impact of small moments, the power of pausing, th...

Michelle McKown-Campbell is a Re-engagement Strategist and Transformational Speaker with over 25 years in HR, recruitment, coaching, and leadership development. She’s the creator of the Activate the A.W.E.S.O.M.E.® framework and has empowered thousands - from teens to CEOs -to reignite confidence, embrace their strengths, and reengage with purpose. Known for her high-energy style and interactive d...

In this episode, host Jackie Handy explores the language of disengagement and its connection to burnout. She shares linguistic signs of disengagement and provides insights on how leaders can address and respond to these signs effectively. Takeaways Language of disengagement Signs of burnout Chapters 00:00 The Language of Disengagement 05:22 Resigned Language and Loss of Agency 11:18 Responding to...

Most organisations believe they have a burnout problem. Today’s guest believes they’ve misdiagnosed it, and that misdiagnosis is exactly why every intervention keeps failing.   Violet Meyer spent a decade in progressive management career before she burnout in 2017, experienced chronic fatigue from 2020, and spent years rebuilding her own health that directly shaped The C.H.A.N.G.E Method and fuell...

In this solo episode, Jackie Handy discusses the importance of conflict in team performance and the need for a safe environment for healthy disagreement. She explores the types of conflict, the conflict continuum, and practical tips for dealing with conflict. Jackie emphasises the creation of an environment that normalises healthy conflict and encourages respectful disagreement. Takeaways Conflict...

For over 30 years, Pam Burrows has been on a mission to help leaders and teams stress less, smile more, and perform at their best and she does it with a contagious energy that leaves a lasting impact. From boardrooms to international conferences, Pam’s powerful, practical approach to wellbeing has transformed workplaces and won awards, including a European Health and Safety Award for reducing stre...

This solo episode with Jackie focuses on the significance of small habitual moments, the value of questions, and the impact of midweek and end-of-week check-ins. It recaps on some of the previous guests from the show and emphasises the importance of feeling heard, modelling boundaries, and the fresh start effect on Mondays. Connect with Jackie on LinkedIn here Take the FREE Flowfinder quiz here Ta...

Jen Smollett is a Leadership and Confidence Coach who helps leaders lift the invisible weight of Confidence Compensation - the exhausting cycle of second‑guessing themselves while working twice as hard to prove themselves and become the confident, authentic leaders they truly are. Our conversation discusses the concept of confidence compensation and its impact on leadership effectiveness. It explo...

In this short episode, Jackie Handy discusses the importance of starting with the end in mind when it comes to leadership development. She shares the need for a learning needs analysis and the importance of ongoing learning and development beyond formal training programs. Takeaways Starting with the end in mind Learning needs analysis

Leading with courage, freedom and authenticity, Stephen J.Whitton is speaker and founder of a movement that aims to help leaders (especially men) to gain clarity, confidence and purpose.  Having gone through his own calamitous situation in 2020, Divorce, business collapse, pandemic AND coming out, Stephen reflects on his career in a very male dominated and target driven industry, that was so focus...