Grit in the Oyster

In this episode I speak with Professor Ellen Connelly Taaffe author of the best selling book the Mirrored Door. We explore how to break through the often invisible barriers that can lock successful women in place in their careers.

Sally Helgesen’s top-selling book 'Rising Together' is rich with wisdom and practical advice and here I explore with Sally some of its contents. From the impact of the pandemic on creating divisions through to how we can all be better allies helping shift the conversation to create cultures of belonging.

Loved talking to Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon voted the most influential woman in tech about her book She’s In CTRL. We talk about how women can take back tech - to communicate, solve problems and protect themselves in a digital world. She’s such an inspiration!

Men are presumed to be competent unless proven otherwise, women are not. What are the facts to support this? And what can we do about it when leadership requires women to exercise their authority, yet authority is still associated with male. Here my conversation with Mary Ann Sieghart, author of The Authority Gap, explores this conundrum and how we might solve it.

Conversation with Dr Rebecca Newton author of Authentic Gravitas, who stands out and why. In this episode I speak with Rebecca Newton about the importance of gravitas in a leader and how we build it. Insightful and practical as well as myth busting, Rebecca delivers real wisdom for women leaders.

Penny talks to Dr Therese Huston author of How Women Decide who shares insights into the decisiveness dilemma for women and offers practical strategies that lead to better decisions for both men and women.

Female Firsts - not only the first country to give women the vote and register the first nurse and dental nurse world wide, but New Zealand has an extensive pioneering history of female firsts from Kate Edgar, the first woman in the British Empire to earn a BA, to Jacinda Adern the world's youngest female political leader. Here is the first woman Solicitor General in New Zealand, CEO of the Crown...

Our resilience is being tested more then ever as we head into the second year of a global pandemic. So learning everything we can about how to build it in ourselves is critical. Here I talk to Amy Morin author of 13 Things Mentally Strong Women Don’t Do about how to build our mental strength.

Do men and women operate differently when they negotiate? And if so how do we level the playing field? Some great research and insights from Dr Laura Kray on how women can gain advantage.

Shellye’s experience as an African American woman focused on becoming a CEO at 16 is told in her book Unapologetically Ambitious in both a powerful and practical way. Listen to our great conversation bringing her and her lessons to life.

Women leaders can experience backlash when they display assertive behaviour, paying a social penalty on the back of gender stereotypes. But there are tools to mitigate this while we change the system.

The most generous and reassuring thing you can do for your team as a leader is to act with real authority as a leader. Professor Deborah Gruenfeld takes us through how to do that in her book Acting with Power.

Conversation with Professor Mara Olekans on managing ourselves as women leaders to become successful negotiators.

In this episode I talk to Dame Inga Beale, most recently CEO of Lloyds of London, about her leadership, her learning and her legacy.

In this episode I speak to Dr Raina Brands of London Business School on the power of networking and making invisible career ladders more visible. With great advice on navigating the Think Manager /Think Male stereotype for individual women leaders, and advice for organisations on how to ensure recruitment processes don’t disadvantage women aspiring to executive roles.

Building a business and a leadership self when you believe change is inevitable, but suffering is optional. I talk with the inspiring Geeta Sidhu-Robb CEO OF Nosh Detox. We explore what women leaders are capable of doing, and becoming, especially when you have no choice.

I talk to Professor Natalia Karelaia at INSEAD about her fascinating research on leadership and how the link between confidence and influence plays out for women leaders.

From village school in Kenya, when no girl had gone to university, to Oxford PhD in Aerospace engineering. Gladys Ngetich tells her inspiring story.

I talk to Dame Stephanie Shirley about how she built her IT business from dining room table to become Xansa plc. Great wisdom and insight into how to make a difference in every aspect of your life and career.

I speak to Dr Caroline Kisia Executive Director of Action Africa Help International about her leadership career, the importance of mind-set and energy, and courage being at the heart of great leadership.

Penny speaks to seven female scholars of the College of St Rose in New York about their aspirations for their lives and their careers.

I talk with Professor Marianne Lewis Dean of Cass Business School London about her career as well as her work on paradoxes. Why we should embrace them and how.

In this episode, Penny talks to Christina Blacklaws, President of the Law Society, about her career and the challenges for women's advancement in a profession where most of the intake is female. Fabulous advice!

I talk to Professor Ronit Kark on her research around the paradoxes women leaders face in organisations and what strategies to deploy to move from a dilemma to a paradox mindset.

Diversity. Inclusion. Unconscious Bias. What it means and how to ensure it makes a difference in your organisation. l talk to Angela Peacock Chair of PDT - specialists in this field - who shares her experience and knowledge.