A Step Ahead by Monika Chutnik

Burnout is increasingly recognized as a definitive crisis of the 21st century. While Western civilization attributes this widespread exhaustion to a variety of systemic factors, one critical cause remains largely underexplored: the profound exhaustion of living a life that does not align with who you truly are. Many professionals find themselves operating in a behavioral style that is completely d...

Becoming a leader often starts with a surge of excitement - a new assignment, a fresh challenge, and the prestige of a new position. However, that initial joy is frequently followed by a period of doubt. We begin to wonder how to truly make things happen and how to navigate the complex reality of leadership. We soon discover that our team members are not mirrors of ourselves; they don't always beh...

Since the pandemic, there has been a marked increase in sensitivity and awareness regarding resilience, mental toughness, and the prevention of team burnout. For those in leadership, the critical question has become: "How can I actively contribute to preventing burnout within my team?" This is the central theme we explore in today’s conversation with my Guest, Ilham Musayev . In this episode you w...

When we think of psychological safety, we might be uncertain about what it really means in practice. In many industries, teamwork is a factor in profitability or customer satisfaction, but in healthcare, the stakes are incomparably higher. This is why I'm so happy to talk to my guest today, who will be sharing plenty of examples of what it really means in the most intense practice in a medical sec...

hat drives a career forward in a truly sustainable way? It is never just hard work or ambition. It is a living combination of inner motivation, psychological safety, courage, clarity, and the often‑forgotten balance between work and life that keeps us healthy enough to grow over the long run.​ This conversation with Marci Macedo is a beautiful exploration of what it truly means to grow.  In this e...

When we think about setting goals, we usually relate to the business context. But aren't we in need of setting goals for our lives as well? Or is there a difference between setting a goal, setting an objective, maybe setting a direction? That's a very interesting topic to discuss and I'm having a very great guest to be discussing this topic today, Bruno Morgante. By no coincidence he is talking ab...

In Poland, we have a saying: A Pole and a Hungarian are like two brothers. We both like to fight, and we both like to drink. That’s how the saying goes. I think this is what many people commonly imagine about Hungarians—and about working with them. Now, we can assume that this saying, which blends humor with stereotype, might contain a grain of truth. But I believe—and I’m quite convinced—that the...

When you cooperate with people from Poland, especially when you run meetings or trainings—whether face to face or online—you might face the challanges. Many of my international colleagues, particularly those coming from Western European and North American countries, feel a bit insecure about how to read reactions from us. By “us,” I mean Polish people, but also more generally people from Central a...

How open are we to language acquisition? This is what we are discussing in today's episode. We work a lot with international audiences and international teams, and it seems that language plays an important role here. This is why I'm so glad to have Vladislav Alehno as my guest. Vlad is not just a polyglot — he is a hyperpolyglot. In this episode you will learn: Why calling a language "foreign" can...

Visiting a place for a holiday is not the same as working hand in hand with local professionals, managing projects together, and navigating shared responsibilities. Today, I’m joined by a special guest who knows this world from the inside out: Beata Malinowska, who shares her real-life experience of working across Asian cultures—not just Asia as a region, but as a collection of distinct countries,...

When you think about storytelling and business, there is a question how you can combine these two areas. Let me tell you, the connection is just amazing and fascinating. It's very, very, very strong and I have a great guest - Yingdan Liu - who can tell us more about how it works, what it is and why it is so important to have storytelling skills especially when you are a leader.  In this episode yo...

In this episode, I'm having a special guest, who can tell us a bit more about how we can really put a little bit of brain into all our hard attempts and how to apply a structured approach to creating DEI change. Kasper Jelsbech has dedicated a big part of your professional life to diversity, equity, and inclusion. He works as partner and chief consultant at a company called Living Institute. In th...

We talk a lot about managing diversity, about diversity of people, and about the beautiful performance, which is possible thanks to diversity in organizations. But have we made sure before that this diversity actually can work in practice? Can all the kinds of people access the resources of our company? That's the question. Today, I'm talking to Mike Koeppe about online accessibility for people wi...

The world of work is changing. And what is changing among others is the generations that we have in workplace. Now slowly but inevitably, I'm discovering that I'm starting to belong to the older generations in the workplace. But it also makes me very curious about what are the younger generations like. What makes them like this? How do they approach certain things? Today, we will be talking about...

More and more frequently we talk about diversity, equity and inclusion. My impression is that we get a lot of DEI guidelines, but they show us how to behave in a specific situation. I'm very glad to have Magdalena Szumna as a guest today. We are going to explore a little bit more practical approach to dealing with situations related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. In this conversation you wil...

Many managers suffer from the challenge of being in touch with their people, of keeping the relationship. And what becomes even more difficult is having a dialogue. What do we do in a situation when there is a polarized dialogue? How to run it? I have invited an amazing expert who can tell us a lot about how to do dialogue and, maybe even more importantly, how to depolarize dialogue in case it goe...

In this captivating episode of "A Step Ahead by Monika Chutnik" Jana Holla provides us with a unique glimpse into the vibrant world of Egypt, emphasizing the value Egyptians place on relationships, the cultural nuances that shape their interactions, and the challenges faced by expatriates in this enchanting land. Join Monika and her guest as they explore the joy of relationships and the complexiti...

In this episode of A Step Ahead podcast Monika Chutnik is talking with Maja Paradecka from Kemira company on how to build a global women's network that drives inclusion. In this conversation you will learn: Why to talk about the women's network Story of Women's Network in Kemira How to start and develop a women's network How to make a women's network global Tips and tricks for other organizations...

This podcast, A Step Ahead, has been created for all who want to grow in such an international, remote environment – who want to grow as leaders, as HR, as change agents, and simply as humans. I will be delighted to know how you make progress at work and in life - Monika Chutnik. Materials are available at www.astepahead.pro/008 In this episode I am talking with Kathy Borys Siddiqui about Danish b...

This podcast, A Step Ahead, has been created for all who want to grow in such an international, remote environment – who want to grow as leaders, as HR, as change agents, and simply as humans. I will be delighted to know how you make progress at work and in life - Monika Chutnik. Materials are available at www.astepahead.pro/007 In this episode I am talking with Alessia Serena, an experienced mana...

This podcast, A Step Ahead, has been created for all who want to grow in such an international, remote environment – who want to grow as leaders, as HR, as change agents, and simply as humans. I will be delighted to know how you make progress at work and in life - Monika Chutnik. Materials are available at www.astepahead.pro/006 In this episode I am talking with Sarah Cordivano about how to craft...

This podcast, A Step Ahead, has been created for all who want to grow in such an international, remote environment – who want to grow as leaders, as HR, as change agents, and simply as humans. I will be delighted to know how you make progress at work and in life - Monika Chutnik. Materials are available at www.astepahead.pro/005 In this episode I am talking about Part Time Manager with Johanna Fin...

This podcast, A Step Ahead, has been created for all who want to grow in such an international, remote environment – who want to grow as leaders, as HR, as change agents, and simply as humans. I will be delighted to know how you make progress at work and in life - Monika Chutnik. Materials are available at www.astepahead.pro/004 In this episode I am talking about "What are Microaffirmations and wh...

This podcast, A Step Ahead, has been created for all who want to grow in such an international, remote environment – who want to grow as leaders, as HR, as change agents, and simply as humans. I will be delighted to know how you make progress at work and in life - Monika Chutnik. Materials are available at www.astepahead.pro/003 In this episode I am talking about Psychological Safety - what is it...

This podcast, A Step Ahead, has been created for all who want to grow in such an international, remote environment – who want to grow as leaders, as HR, as change agents, and simply as humans. I will be delighted to know how you make progress at work and in life - Monika Chutnik. Materials are available at www.astepahead.pro/002 In this episode I’m talking to Hanna Yankina, who comes from Ukraine...