Don't Shoot The Messenger

How do you secure a job share role, and once in, how do you make it work? In this episode, two guests join us to share their experiences of job sharing. Will McDonald and Natasha Liedl-McDowall took different routes into job sharing. We talked about:   📣 How to win over sceptical stakeholders   📣 The unglamorous essentials: presenting a united front, handover notes and sharing all the gossip  📣...

Jo Coxhill is on a mission to make work not suck. An expert in employee experience, organisational culture and internal communication, Jo helps companies boost performance and build happier, healthier, more engaged teams.  She’s also a burnout advocate, speaker, and fellow of the IoIC, known for her authenticity and results-driven approach. In this episode - a guest expert session from our Get Hir...

Here's the latest 'Job Search SOS' episode. I'm back with Lucy Cairncross, MD of VMA GROUP to tackle the questions keeping job seekers up at night. This episode is packed with straight-talking advice on: 📣 Cover letters: why they still matter (despite what everyone tells you), and what actually works  📣 How to explain a disjointed career without badmouthing your toxic ex-boss...

This week I’m bringing you another Job Search SOS episode, a recording of a Q&A webinar I ran in mid January 2025, with Lucy Cairncross. the MD of VMA Group, the recruitment specialist for communications, marketing, digital and change roles. We answered questions from the communications community, and provided an update on the state of the job market. Topics included: 📣  How to talk about a l...

Nessa O'Gorman is a global product and marketing strategist who has had several career pivots. From an early career as an interpreter, she moved into marketing and product development, launching Expedia's first loyalty programme across 14 countries. And now Nessa has a new passion - wellbeing as the foundation of sustainable performance in work and in life. In this episode we talk about:...

Lucy Cairncross is the MD of VMA GROUP, the specialist marketing and communications recruitment and executive search firm. In this special episode of the podcast, I'm bringing you a recording of a Q&A session Lucy and I hosted for our communities of communications professionals, frustrated by the state of the job market and the horrendous application process. We answered a multitude of qu...

Louisa Houghton is Head of Communications at VMO2 Business. She is a storyteller and writer at her core. And having worked in the fast-paced world of telecoms for most of her career, she has experienced the speed of change from the inside. In this episode, we talk about how her mission to achieve harmony between her work life and busy home life, has informed her career decisions. And also: 📣 The...

Nicole Bearne had a fascinating communications career in Formula 1 and is now a board director at Motorsport UK, and an employee experience consultant. Working in an organisation with such big budgets and high profile has given Nicole so many unique experiences (bumping into Brad Pitt at work being one of the perks). Amongst other things, we talk about: 📣 Turning your passion into a profession 📣...

Shan Chatoo calls herself a communications warrior. Alongside her work as a comms professional, she now combines the skill she’s developed in communication, with her passion for weights, to empower women to build mental and physical resilience. In this episode Shan will inspire you with her epic achievements, and how she picked herself up from her lowest ebb, when she was being bullied at work. We...

Polly Evans oversees UK audio production for the world’s largest interactive audio platform for kids. She started her career at the BBC, moving into reporting and becoming a TV news anchor. This episode is about a life and career-changing moment that happened to her on live TV, in front of hundreds of thousands of viewers. We talk about: 📣 How the worst possible thing can happen, and how she navi...

We're back with series 3, and starting strong with internal communications consultant Olivia Lawson. Olivia's career has had several twists and turns, and a couple of sliding doors moments.  In this episode we talk about:  📣 How reading one book can change your life 📣 The impact of having entrepreneurial parents 📣 Being a natural networker who was afraid of LinkedIn 📣 There being no...

In this, the last episode of series 2, I talk with Jenni Field, business strategist, author, podcaster and founder of Redefining Communications. We cover a lot of ground in this episode, including corporate culture, the challenges facing the physical workplace and how to future-proof your career in communication. We discuss: 📣 The role of communicators in establishing a positive corporate culture...

In this episode I talk with Tony Stewart, Head of digital at scarlettabott and self-confessed digital geek, about how to get your digital strategy right in a Covid world. We discuss: 📣 The 7 fundamental pillars on which to build a winning digital strategy  📣 How success leads to behavioural change 📣 The technical challenge of ongoing remote working 📣 A great example of using gaming technology...

In this episode, I talk with Robbie Sommerville, Director of ESG Communications at Credit Suisse about the impact of COP26 and the evolution of environment and social issues in different regions. We discuss: 📣 The impact of COP26: moving from the focus on carbon to a more diverse range of environmental topics 📣 Regional priorities across the ESG agenda and juggling those needs in a global organi...

In this episode I talk with Sheena Thomson, an expert in international relations, reputation and crisis management, who started her communications career with the Royal Navy, about what the corporate world can learn from how the Navy manages a crisis.  We discuss: 📣 Being thrown into the deep end, handling crisis communications for the Navy 📣 How to keep a rational head when all around you are l...

In this episode I talk with Sam Bleazard, Employee Communications and Engagement Lead at Fortnum & Mason about the unique challenge of working in retail communications We discuss: 📣 The challenge of working strategically in an environment where results are examined on a weekly basis 📣 How retail has been affected by COVID, e-commerce, Brexit and the sustainability agenda 📣 What goes on behi...

In this first episode of the second series, I talk with Kim England, VP of Global Employee Communications at Pearson, a self-confessed tech geek who is passionate about collaboration and community, about using technology to build a global internal community We discuss: 📣 How education is having its ‘Spotify’ moment 📣 Enterprise Social Networks - so much more than an intranet 📣 Allowing the ‘non...

In this, the last episode of series one, I talk with Rachel Miller, consultant, trainer, podcaster, and a recognised authority on internal communication, about the challenges internal communicators face to rebuild collaboration and company culture as we return to the workplace. We discuss: ⭐️ What will never be the same again, post COVID ⭐️ How to create a sense of belonging when teams are apart...

In this episode of the podcast, I talk with Vicki DeBlasi, who specialises in PR and marketing for innovation and technology projects. We’re talking about the unique challenge of working on projects that have the potential to change the way we live and work. We discuss: ⭐️ The role of psychology in communications and marketing ⭐️ 5G, conspiracy theories and how to stop the spread of misinformati...

In this episode of the podcast, I talk with Neil Henderson, a corporate communications director, whose earlier career was in broadcast journalism for the major TV networks.  We discuss: ⭐️ The assumptions journalists make about PRs and vice versa ⭐️ Is there such a thing as bad publicity? (See the European Super League fiasco) ⭐️ How PRs can keep up with the changing media landscape ⭐️ Why you...

In this episode of the podcast, I talk with George Blizzard, co-founder of The PR Network, about the benefits and challenges of flexible working in all its forms. We discuss: ⭐️ How to make job-sharing work for the benefit of all involved ⭐️ How to build a strong company culture with a team you have never met ⭐️ What big corporates could learn from more agile, flexible organisations ⭐️ What pi...

In this episode of the Don't Shoot The Messenger podcast, I talk with Jonathan Hemus, Managing Director of Insignia, who helps companies plan and rehearse for the worst-case scenario. We discuss: ⭐️ Why most businesses find it so challenging to prepare for crises ⭐️ Where the UK Government went wrong in their handling of COVID-19  ⭐️ Who got it right: examples of superior crisis communicat...

In this episode of the Don't Shoot The Messenger podcast, I talk with Mark Hutcheon, who is a Director in the crisis and reputation practice at Deloitte, helping clients predict and prepare for large scale risks. We tackle the huge issue of the climate crisis and its impact on business. We discuss: ⭐️ The winners and losers in the best and worst-case climate scenarios  ⭐️ Whether industries...

In this episode, I talk with Steve Earl, agency MD who has led and grown communications consultancies over a 25-year career, working with companies going through sweeping change.  We discuss: ⭐️ ESG - what is it and why does it matter? ⭐️ How COVID has accelerated ESG-led transformation. ⭐️ The challenges and opportunities for communications professionals. ⭐️ Masquerading as Vinnie Jones in th...

In this episode of the Don't Shoot The Messenger podcast, I talk Phil Szomszor, a social media consultant for business leaders, brands and sales teams.  We discuss: ⭐️ Why the 75% of UK CEOs who are inactive on social media are missing a trick ⭐️ Social media silence, misuse and freedom of speech ⭐️ What channels and formats are going to be big in the next 12 months ⭐️ Coming out as an ex...