ENDURES with Suzanne Rath

A high performing team can look impressive but can mean the leader keeps stepping in to fix everything. Training someone to replicate a task is useful but it doesn’t teach them how to respond when situations change. In this episode I explore the differences between leader driven performance, replication and genuine capability. Pause & Reset free session online: Sept 15, 1pm AEST https://suzannerat...

Female leaders are often praised for being capable, helpful and willing to step in. But fixing everything teaches people to keep bringing every problem back to you. This episode explores the difference between being approachable and becoming everyone’s path of least resistance. Leadership needs to develop the capability of others- while protecting your capacity for the work only you can do. Pause...

“Control the controllables” is one of the mantras I live by, but sometimes life reaches a point where no amount of action, problem-solving or determination can give us the outcome we desperately want. In Willow’s final days, we made decisions quickly, sought treatment and did everything we could, until we had to recognise that what we could control had fundamentally changed. We couldn’t control wh...

What does leadership look like when your personal life is consuming the capacity you would normally bring to your work, your team and your business? In the last few weeks of Willow’s life, she was my priority, but there were still decisions to make, responsibilities to hold and things that genuinely needed me. Leadership in those seasons isn’t pretending you’re unaffected, but it’s also not allowi...

In Willow’s final hours, I lay beside her in our garden watching a golden orb spider weave its web, listening to the lorikeets and noticing tiny things I would normally have rushed straight past. In this episode, I reflect on the duality of pursuing big goals while still being present enough to notice the ordinary moments that make up the fabric of our lives. Willow wasn’t interested in collecting...

We’re often encouraged to create a clear, consistent version of ourselves for other people, but authenticity doesn’t mean reducing yourself to one thing. In this episode, I explore the duality of being strong and struggling, confident and uncertain, ambitious and tired, and why acknowledging both sides makes us more human, not less credible. Losing Willow has reminded me that leadership doesn’t re...

After nine days away from this podcast and the loss of our beautiful Willow, I’m slowly finding my way back, but I’m not trying to catch up on everything I missed. In this episode, I explore why re-entry after loss, illness, injury, holidays or simply life getting in the way needs prioritisation, not repayment. I share a simple three-part test: What still matters? What has expired? What can disapp...

New research highlighted by Harvard Business Review explores why people who make brilliant first impressions don't necessarily make brilliant leaders. In this episode, I unpack the difference between champions and leaders, and why confidence, charisma and great ideas tell us very little about how someone will lead when there's friction. Real leadership shows up in ownership, difficult conversation...

A new study analysed nearly 20,000 facial expressions during a 125km ultramarathon. Slower runners often looked happier at the finish line than faster competitors. What happens when achievement is replaced by expectation and evaluation? I explore the messy middle, the power of support and why we need to let ourselves experience the finish line. Pause & Reset free session online: Sept 15, 1pm AEST...

New research suggests the networks that make us feel most supported aren’t necessarily the ones that create the greatest opportunities for growth. In this episode, I explore the difference between the relationships that help us endure and those that challenge us, broaden our thinking and open new doors. We also look at the important role of the people who quietly connect and strengthen teams- and...

We all get the same 24 hours - but we don’t all experience or use them in the same way. In this episode, I unpack how I “bend time” by creating constraints, compressing timelines, stacking value and deliberately creating experiences that make life feel bigger. But there’s a danger in turning every spare minute into something productive: eventually, time starts bending you. Pause & Reset free sessi...

New research into human-AI collaboration highlights something leaders often get wrong: good communication isn’t about saying more, it’s about creating a shared understanding of reality. In this episode, I explore why two people can leave the same conversation with completely different ideas about what matters, what “done” looks like and who owns what happens next. Instead of asking, “Do you unders...

When Life Happens but the Work Doesn’t Stop My beautiful dog Willow has cancer, and right now a significant part of my emotional capacity belongs somewhere other than work. But businesses, teams and responsibilities don’t simply stop when life outside work becomes difficult- so how do we keep going without pretending everything is fine? In this episode, I talk about adjusting our expectations, pro...

Starting is exciting- finishing is satisfying. But the middle can be repetitive, uncertain and frustrating. In this episode, I share being in the messy middle with this podcast and when to quit- versus when to push through! Pause & Reset free session online: Sept 15, 1pm AEST https://suzannerath.com.au/pause-reset-webinar UPCOMING ROTARY ECLUB EVENTS https://events.humanitix.com/the-magic-of-hello...

Gartner predicts that by 2029, 30% of organisations will have blended HR and IT teams as AI fundamentally changes how work gets done. But adopting AI isn’t really a technology challenge - it’s a work design challenge. In this episode, I look at why simply adding AI to existing processes won’t create the performance gains leaders expect. The opportunity is to redesign the work: what AI owns, what h...

Finishing the Larapinta stage race meant ticking off one of my 100 goals- but what actually happens psychologically when we finally achieve something we’ve worked towards for months or years? In this episode, I explore the ups and downs of achievement- from confidence and meaning to the post-goal dip that can come when the structure and anticipation suddenly disappear. Pause & Reset free session o...

I recently joined Murray Jones on 4CA to talk about running from Sydney to Newcastle- and what it really takes to keep pursuing big goals without running yourself into the ground. That’s also why I’m launching the Performance Concierge for a small group of Cairns-based leaders: an integrated program combining strategy, recovery and high-performance support to help you build greater focus, momentum...

Not Every Alarm Means Stop Running along a ridgeline at Larapinta today reminded me that fear and discomfort are information, but they aren’t always instructions to stop. In this episode, I explore the difference between danger, a problem that needs solving, and the discomfort that simply comes with doing hard things. Endurance athletes, and great leaders, don’t ignore warning signs; they get bett...

I’m halfway through the four-day Run Larapinta stage race- one of my 100 goals- and I’ve noticed something: every section feels completely different when I’m running it, yet somehow all my photos look the same. ( disagree? Let me know!) It got me thinking about how progress often looks repetitive from the outside, even when the experience on the inside is changing us. In this episode, I explore wh...

Today on a trail run I got lost because I followed somebody who looked like they knew where they were going. It reminded me how we often do the same in business- copying competitors and starting to lose sight of what makes us different. Pause & Reset free session online: Sept 15, 1pm AEST https://suzannerath.com.au/pause-reset-webinar UPCOMING ROTARY ECLUB EVENTS https://events.humanitix.com/the-m...

New research into workplace AI asks- is it making us more productive- or just producing more? Because more doesn't mean better performance. The real question is- what's moving the needle? Pause & Reset free session online: Sept 15, 1pm AEST https://suzannerath.com.au/pause-reset-webinar UPCOMING ROTARY ECLUB EVENTS https://events.humanitix.com/the-magic-of-hello The Magic of Hello. Rotary E Club o...

A recent Slack study found that tasks with a clear owner are 70% more likely to get done - and adding a deadline makes completion 2.5× more likely .In this episode, I unpack why vague collective responsibility so often becomes nobody’s responsibility. Clear ownership gives people the clarity to act, make decisions and be accountable. If something matters- give it a name, an owner and a deadline. U...

Many founders build their businesses by wearing every hat- but what happens when it’s finally time to take those hats off? In this episode, I explore why teams naturally gravitate back to the founder- or their nearest bottleneck- for answers, decisions and solutions, even after responsibilities have been delegated. We look at why constantly stepping back in can undermine ownership, accountability...

In this episode of ENDURES, I directly map out how each of my 3 core outcomes of unshakeable focus, unstoppable momentum & actualised potential map to the 3 core steps of EOS and how not everyone can improve- but we can recognise those team members who will! UPCOMING ROTARY ECLUB EVENTS https://events.humanitix.com/empowering-women-and-girls-connection-and-collaboration-evening Rotary Club of Empo...

Habits help us repeat an action. Rituals help us remember why it matters. In this episode, I explore how adding meaning to ordinary routines can help us navigate transitions, reconnect with our values, savour difficult experiences and create space for recovery. I also share three questions to help you identify where a simple ritual could bring more intention, alignment and meaning to your day. UPC...