Alastair Greener Generationally Speaking

Alastair welcomes Farzana Parkar, an HR consultant at face2face HR and who describes herself as an Xennial with 15 years’ experience in HR.  In this episode, Farzana and Alastair explore what working in HR really looks like in 2026, from Gen Z’s reluctance to “play the game” and the importance of robust onboarding, to the disconnect between what companies promise during recruitment and what employ...

Alastair sits down with Danny Wang, a 23-year-old Gen Z IT sales professional who transformed himself from a shy, introverted teenager into a national-level public speaking champion in under a year. Danny's story is a compelling one. After leaving school without qualifications and working two jobs, he made a deliberate decision to reinvent himself through communication, networking, and public spea...

Alastair welcomes Victoria Rennoldson, a multi-award-winning global leadership coach, international speaker, bestselling author, and podcast host specialising in strategic communication and cultural intelligence. A cusp Millennial who began her career at Boots before founding her own business, Victoria now works with leaders and organisations worldwide, helping them navigate the communication chal...

Former school “superhead” Nick Bowen reflects on 20 years leading large secondary schools and turning around failing institutions. Nick explores how education has evolved, from low accountability to data-driven performance management and why today’s students demand earned respect rather than automatic authority. They discuss generational shifts in parenting, rising parental accountability pressure...

Alastair is joined by International archer and Civic Engagement Manager Lizzy Rees who reflects on growing up in a household of five millennials, competing at elite level sport, and working across generations at university. Lizzy shares insights on how sport funding evolved post-Lottery investment, how Gen Z students engage differently, and why millennials are navigating delayed milestones while b...

21-year-old mental health and digital wellbeing campaigner Paddy Crump shares what it’s really like entering the workplace as Gen Z. From struggling with OCD and school anxiety to campaigning in Parliament as Campaigns Director at Flip Gen, Paddy offers a candid insight into youth mental health, social media regulation, and intergenerational misunderstanding. With Alastair he explores onboarding c...

In this episode Emma Clark joins Alastair live from Australia to explore rising anxiety in schools, generational differences in parenting, and the reality behind Australia’s under-16 social media ban. A former English teacher and now co-founder of Anxiety Uncovered, Emma shares her deeply personal story of childhood trauma, high-functioning anxiety, eventual burnout and how that journey now shapes...

Natasha Wallace joins Alastair to unpack conscious leadership. This is a science-backed approach to building high-trust, high-performance cultures without burning people out. Drawing on her own experience of severe burnout, Natasha explains how values conflict, not just workload, drives disengagement. She also discusses why Gen Z’s refusal to accept “work at all costs” cultures may be a rational r...

Joe Rowntree; comedian, presenter, and founder of Anxiety Uncovered joins Alastair to explore anxiety, parenting, and growing up in a permanently connected world. They discuss the “xennial” experience of analogue childhood and digital adulthood, how smartphones have reshaped family life, and why practical guardrails beat either panic or denial when it comes to young people and technology. 5 highli...

Alastair speaks with higher education professional Charlotte Marshall about what student life and employability really look like right now. From supporting “hard to reach” students to preparing Gen Z for a workplace that doesn’t come with pastoral support, Charlotte offers a grounded view of the transition from education to employment. The conversation progresses to collaboration, communication ac...

George Cairns, founder of Get AI Powers, joins Alastair to cut through the noise around AI and explain what “agentic” systems really are: tools that can carry out computer-based work with minimal human input. George explores how different generations respond to AI, why older workers are often more adaptable than stereotypes suggest, and why most AI projects fail not because of tech, but because or...

Val Corbett brings decades of experience to a deceptively simple question: how do we get people talking again? From prison reform to professional networking, Val argues that isolation has become a default state and that connection often has to be deliberately engineered through structure, shared spaces, and face-to-face interaction. She suggests that age doesn’t equal mindset and why phone bans do...

Patrick Quinton-Smith joins Alastair to dismantle myths about Gen Z at work and focus on what actually improves retention, performance, and engagement. They explore coaching as a high-ROI investment, the unintended damage of poorly designed hybrid work, and why early-career development needs urgent rethinking as AI reshapes entry-level roles. Podcast highlights Employer-funded coaching that genuin...

Neuroscience-informed coach Alison Blackler joins Alastair to explain why generational friction may feel personal, but why it usually isn’t. In this fascinating episode she helps us understand how the brain’s threat response shapes communication, why certainty increases conflict, and how curiosity and empowerment create calmer, higher-performing teams. Alison Blackler Takeaways: Communication styl...

In this podcast Tyler Thompson, (award-winning speaker and youth communication coach), shares how his split upbringing of local roots and private-school opportunities, led him into public speaking and youth work. He explains how he connects with young people, why mental-health and phone culture matter, and practical ways both young and older people can close the communication gap. Episode highligh...

At just 17, Ruby juggles A-Levels, fashion-design ambitions and a record-breaking hospice-fundraiser. She credits her school’s “competitive compassion” culture for normalising charity work. Ruby shares how she builds peer support networks, manages exam stress through friend “debrief dinners”, and why asking older generations about their own passions is her favourite icebreaker. Ruby Woodward Takea...

Freddie Miller shares his journey from urban London to a rural career in river management. He breaks common Gen Z stereotypes with his passion, work ethic and ability to connect across generations. A refreshing conversation about purpose, communication and the evolving relationship between younger and older workers in traditional industries. Freddie Miller Takeaways: Purpose-driven work is Gen Z’s...

Alastair sits down with consultant-psychologist Dr Stacy Moore to explore how our “formative years” lay the tracks for the rest of our lives. From high parental expectations in immigrant families to the way tech is forcing analogue-born generations to re-wire, Stacy unpacks the research behind generational resilience. She argues that Gen Z’s emotional fluency is often misread as fragility, while B...

Steve Haynes (negotiator, mediator and trustee at the Reach charity) talks to Alastair about how his lived experience shaped his approach to negotiation. He discusses how growing up with an upper-limb difference and within multi-generational communities, shaped his perspectives that would prove to be an asset in his work. The conversation moves from practical negotiation tools (BATNA, push vs pull...

Alastair sits down with Henry Farr , a young entrepreneur navigating the generational expectations that come with running his own business. In this episode, Henry offers a grounded, self-aware view of how Gen Z approaches the workplace, identity, and relationships with older colleagues. Open about his own learning journey, Henry reflects on what are sometimes unrealistic expectations placed on his...

In this episode, Alastair speaks with Kate Heathcote, a solutions architect, engineer, musician, and mother navigating life at the intersection of Gen X independence and Millennial collaboration. At 42, she reflects on how her dual upbringing shaped her need for validation, how stubbornness led her to engineering, and why she believes community support for parents has weakened. Kate opens up about...

Alastair is joined by Keith Fraser, former police officer and Chair of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales, for a deep and necessary conversation about race, justice, authority, and how generational assumptions shape all of those. With decades of experience working with young people - particularly those affected by systemic inequalities - Keith reflects on what it means to be a visible r...

Alastair sits down with Gillian White , an independent consultant in retail engineering by training, and lifelong globetrotter. A self-described Gen X cusper , Gillian pushes back on generational absolutes: agreeing with Alastair’s mantra that we’re framed by our era, not defined by it. Growing up as “the new kid” across different countries taught her adaptability, curiosity and grit. These were t...

In this powerful conversation, Alastair speaks to Alex Staniforth, record-breaking ultra-endurance athlete, speaker, and founder of mental health charity Mind Over Mountains. Now 30, Alex reflects on being on the generational cusp between Millennials and Gen Z, and how adversity shaped his early life, from epilepsy and bullying to stammering and school struggles. He opens up about finding solace i...

In this honest and reflective episode, Alastair speaks with Kristine Long, a senior leader at IBM with a decade-long career across London and New York. Kristine explores what it means to be a "typical millennial" in the workplace - value-driven, vocal, and constantly adapting. Now also a mother to one of the first Gen Beta babies, Kristine reflects on how her upbringing shaped her ambition, the ev...