Helping Organisations Thrive with Julian Roberts

In this episode of Helping Organisations Thrive, we are joined by Brendon Prince as he shares his journey as the first person to stand-up paddleboard around mainland Britain, breaking five world records in the process. Driven by his mission to prevent accidental drownings, Brendon explains how this ambitious challenge was designed to raise awareness for water safety. Brendon opens up about the fea...

In this episode of Helping Organisations Thrive, I am joined by Sarah Katherine Schmidt as we explore the fascinating science of how our brains respond to change. Sarah dives into the psychology and neuroscience behind change management, offering actionable insights for leaders navigating transformation in their organisations. Sarah highlights the importance of self-awareness in leaders—understand...

In this episode of Helping Organisations Thrive, we welcome former Xero CEO Steve Vamos to discuss how leaders can navigate change effectively. Steve delves into the difference between gradual shifts and sudden shocks, emphasising that leaders who are comfortable with change can respond to shocks with a more measured approach. He shares strategies for avoiding overwhelm during constant change, suc...

In this episode of Helping Organisations Thrive, Dr. Alia Bojilova, a former special forces psychologist, shares her unique insights on resilience through the lens of psychology and her military background. Alia highlights the critical role of curiosity in building resilience, helping individuals move beyond the fight, flight, or freeze response and engage more deeply with their environment. Refle...

In this episode of Helping Organisations Thrive, we are joined by Genevieve Hawkins as we explore the fascinating science behind effective leadership and emotional resilience. We delve into the body’s natural responses—cortisol spikes and increased heart rates—when we receive feedback that feels critical. Genevieve explains how recognising these signals can help leaders pause, reflect, and choose...

In this episode of Helping Organisations Thrive, we are joined by James Marshall as we delve into the essential strategies and adaptations leaders need to build resilience in hybrid and remote teams. Drawing from his experiences, James shares key insights on the surprising shift leaders face when transitioning from in-office management to remote team leadership. He highlights the importance of fos...

In this episode of Helping Organisations Thrive, Katja Rehse joins us to explore unlocking leadership potential through emotional (EQ) and spiritual intelligence (SQ). Katja shares her personal journey, highlighting that emotional intelligence involves not only emotional regulation but also an awareness of “emotional dosing”—understanding the right amount of emotion needed in various situations to...

In this episode of Helping Organisations Thrive, we are joined by leadership expert Chris Smith as we explore the art of becoming more influential within an organisation. Chris dives into the essential human side of leadership, explaining that real influence stems from humility, openness, and genuine engagement. Chris outlines actionable steps for leaders to achieve this "sweet spot" of humility,...

In this episode of Helping Organisations Thrive, we are joined by Tamzin Hall as we explore Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD) and its impact in the workplace. Tamzin explains how RSD is common in neurodivergent people but affects others too, causing intense emotional pain over perceived rejection, even from minor incidents, making it difficult to move forward. Tamzin shares strategies to help...

In this episode of Helping Organisations Thrive, we are joined by Daryll Scott as we explore how to drive high performance through effective, ongoing performance conversations. Daryll highlights the importance of consistency, advocating for feedback as a daily practice rather than an occasional event. Daryll explains that feedback should be future-focused, with conversations about tomorrow and not...

In this episode of Helping Organisations Thrive, we are joined by Mark Sampson as we explore how businesses can maintain their team spirit and culture during periods of rapid growth. Mark reflects on his own journey and explains that as companies scale, it’s easy to lose sight of the core elements that made them successful and stand out in the first place. To prevent this, Mark shares how leaders...

In this episode of Helping Organisations Thrive, we sit down with Lia Evans, the world record holder who, alongside her team, accomplished the remarkable feat of rowing around Great Britain. But the journey to success was far from smooth. Lia shares her story of resilience, starting with her first attempt at the challenge, which ended in a dramatic rescue. She talks about the physical and mental h...

In this episode of Helping Organisations Thrive, we are joined by Philippa Davies as we explore the challenges women face in advancing to leadership positions in STEM. Philippa shares how many women are leaving the STEM industry before reaching leadership positions, often due to workplace cultures that lack inclusivity and flexibility. Philippa delves into how organisations can better support wome...

In this episode of Helping Organisations Thrive, we are joined by Allison Ness as we explore how leaders can navigate the constant state of disruption and change in today’s workplace, contrasting it with traditional views of organisational transformation. We explore how disruptions differ from planned changes, noting that change is no longer finite with a clear start and end—it’s now an ongoing, l...

In this week’s episode of Helping Organisations Thrive, the roles are reversed as Dr. Susan Kahn steps in as host, while I, Julian Roberts, take on the role of guest. Susan expertly guides the conversation as we dive into my recently released book, Weathering the Storm: A Guide to Building Resilient Teams. Together, we explore key themes from the book, including my personal insights, experiences,...

In this weeks episode of Helping Organisations Thrive, we are joined by Dana S Diaz as we dive deep into the topic of narcissism in the workplace, unpacking how it manifests, how to recognise it, and the strategies we can use to manage its impact. We start by discussing what narcissism looks like in a professional environment and what makes someone narcissistic. Often characterised by self-importa...

In this weeks episode of Helping Organisations Thrive, we explore changing your "inner soundtrack" — the constant stream of thoughts, feelings, and internal dialogue that influence how you navigate both personal and professional challenges. Our guest, Angela Watson, shares powerful insights on how increasing awareness of this internal dialogue can lead to greater self-awareness and personal growth...

Can we truly master our emotions? In this episode of Helping Organisations Thrive we are joined by Dr. Rana Al-Falaki as we dive into the essential skills every leader needs to effectively manage their emotions in the workplace. The conversation highlights the critical role emotional intelligence plays in leadership, emphasising that leaders who can control their emotions are better equipped to in...

In this episode of Helping Organisations Thrive, we are joined by Joe Pane as we dive deep into the concept of emotional fitness and its critical role in effective leadership. We start by defining emotional fitness, distinguishing it from emotional intelligence, and exploring why it is essential for leaders to cultivate this trait in today’s dynamic work environments. Our discussion covers the fiv...

Have you ever considered the power of using metaphors in a business context? Join this weeks episode of Helping Organisations Thrive where we are joined by Alison Smith to explore how to unlock a business breakthrough with the power of metaphors. We open the episode by delving into how Alison first encountered the power of metaphors. With real life examples, Alison shares why metaphors are so powe...

Feel inspired as we are joined by Meridith Alexander on this week’s episode of Helping Organisations Thrive where she shares the “Boulder Story” that changed her outlook on life, and how it can change yours too. As Meridith shares the boulder story - the devastating day that her daughter got severely injured in a boulder incident - we delve into the emotions that Meridith experienced and the strat...

Dial in to this weeks episode of Helping Organisations Thrive where we have the pleasure of Dr. Marie-Helene Pelletier as we explore the strategic elements of building resilience as a leader. Stripping it back to the basics, Marie-Helene shares the definitions of resilience and more specifically, strategic resilience, whilst also sharing why a strategic plan is vital to successful resilience. List...

In this weeks episode of Helping Organisations Thrive we are joined by Leah Mether as we explore leading people through change and uncertainty. With an emphasis on people skills and the importance of these skills, we address the biggest challenges that leaders face when guiding people through change and uncertainty. Leah shares how imperative it is that a leader embraces the change first, before b...

Join this week’s episode of Helping Organisations Thrive where we have the pleasure of welcoming back Alice Reeves, to explore neurodiversity in the workplace. As we begin delving into this subject, Alice shares the misconceptions of neurodiversity in the workplace and emphasises the importance of remembering that neurodiversity manifests differently in everybody. Having discussed the definitions...

Tune into this inspiring episode of Helping Organisations Thrive where we are joined by two times sailing Olympic champion, Sarah Ayton, as we explore her sailing career, in the context of leadership. Sarah shares her sailing story, from where it all started at 6 years old, to the ups and downs along the way to two Olympic Games. Throughout this fascinating exploration of Sarah’s story, we touch o...