Lead to Soar

In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, Michelle Redfern explores the concept of learning conversations and their role in career and leadership development. Michelle shares how mastering the art of these informal but intentional discussions can significantly enhance your leadership journey. Key Discussion Points: What are Learning Conversations? Michelle defines learning conversations as info...

In this episode, Michelle Redfern discusses the Hour of Power, a weekly group coaching call within the Lead to Soar network. This session provides a safe and consistent space for women to share their career challenges and insights, offering practical advice, support, and a strategic network that empowers women to thrive. Michelle highlights the importance of psychological safety, the value of wome...

In this solo episode, Michelle tackles a deeply challenging issue many women face: hostile workplaces. From subtle microaggressions to outright discrimination, hostile environments can undermine confidence, drain emotional energy, and hinder career progression. Michelle breaks down practical strategies to protect yourself, build resilience, and, if necessary, find your way out. This episode is fil...

In this episode of Lead to Soar, hosts Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher tackle the crucial topic of taking risks in your career. From deciding whether to apply for new roles to managing toxic work environments, the conversation covers practical strategies for assessing risks, taking bold steps, and learning from past decisions. Michelle introduces the concept of a "risk matrix" to help you evaluat...

In this episode of Lead to Soar , Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher take on one of the most persistent and damaging stories in women’s leadership: the so-called “Queen Bee.” This is not an episode about labelling women as the problem. It’s about examining why women in power are judged through a different moral lens, why survival behaviours are framed as character flaws, and why organisations are fa...

Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern are discussing growth leadership on today’s episode. They explore the idea that every employee, regardless of department or career stage, plays a critical role in driving their organisation's growth. Growth is not limited to revenue and sales—it extends to overall impact, customer satisfaction, and internal efficiency. The episode also emphasises that leadership ma...

In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, host Michelle Redfern welcomes back Noa Rein, an organisational psychologist and HR advisor, to discuss navigating career crossroads. Together, they explore the concept of being the main character in your career story and the challenges of decision-making during career transitions. Noa shares her expert insights on how individuals, especially women, can...

In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher discuss the persistent workplace gender gap, its causes, and actionable steps to close it. The conversation covers the current state of gender disparity in leadership roles, the impact on women's economic potential, and strategies for organisations and managers to foster gender equity. They also highlight the importance...

In this episode, Mel and Michelle tackle the pervasive issue of imposter syndrome, particularly how it affects women in the workplace. They challenge the traditional views of imposter syndrome, suggesting it is often a result of systemic biases rather than individual shortcomings. The discussion emphasizes the importance of recognizing and addressing these biases to support women's career advancem...

In this episode, Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern discuss how leaders can learn to provide better feedback, with a keen focus on gender differences in feedback reception. They discuss the importance of specific, clear, and timely feedback to foster growth and avoid the pitfalls of vague critiques. Additionally, they explore the systemic biases women face, particularly in performance reviews, and o...

In this episode of Lead to Soar, Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern discuss the power of LinkedIn as a strategic tool for professional women. They explore the common hesitations women face in using LinkedIn and provide actionable advice on how to effectively utilise the platform to enhance career opportunities, build networks, and establish a strong professional brand. Episode Highlights: Hesitation...

In this episode, Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern continue their Career Compass series by discussing the importance of creating clear career paths within organisations. They explore how managers can understand their team members' career aspirations and the strategic benefits of having robust internal mobility programs. The conversation emphasises the need for leaders to foster employee growth and...

In this episode of Lead to Soar, hosts Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern discuss the critical topic of navigating career advice for women aiming for CEO roles. The conversation highlights the disparity in career advice, which focuses heavily on emotional intelligence (EQ) over business intelligence (BQ) and the importance of developing BQ skills for career advancement. They share insights from succ...

In this episode, Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern discuss into a phenomenon hindering women's career progression. They discuss the scenario where managers, mentors, or sponsors fail to recognize the current abilities and potential of women, instead seeing them as they were in the past. This "frozen in time" perception can prevent deserving women from being considered for advancement. The hosts exp...

In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, Michelle and Mel discuss "accidental managers"—individuals promoted into management roles without formal training. They explore the distinction between managers and leaders, examine the prevalence and impact of untrained managers, and offer actionable advice for organizations to better support their management teams. The conversation emphasizes the impo...

In this mini-episode of Lead to Soar, Michelle Redfern, author of "The Leadership Compass," reads an excerpt from her book. Michelle emphasizes that women do not need fixing; instead, the focus should be on transforming the patriarchal systems that hinder their progress. Inspired by Catherine Fox's book "Stop Fixing Women," Michelle highlights the importance of addressing workplace policies and le...

In this episode of Lead to Soar , Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher are joined by Erika Jefferson for a direct, unsentimental conversation about workplace dynamics and leadership responsibility. This is not a discussion about motivation, perks, or surface-level culture change. It’s about the conditions leaders create and tolerate, and how those conditions either enable contribution or quietly shut...

In this milestone episode of Lead to Soar, Mel Butcher, Michelle Redfern and Erika Jefferson to discuss the recent FTC ruling banning non-compete agreements. They dive into the implications of this rule for employees and employers, exploring how non-competes have been used historically and why they are problematic. The conversation also touches on trust, leadership, and the essential elements of c...

If this episode was useful, there are three simple ways to go further: Subscribe on Substack This is now the home of the Lead to Soar podcast. Subscribers get new episodes, curated guidance from the back catalogue, and written insights to help you navigate leadership and career decisions with sound judgement. Explore the Lead to Soar Network Lead to Soar is a leadership development network for amb...

On this episode, Mel Butcher and Erika Jefferson (founder of Black Women in Science and Engineering, BWiSE ) discuss the latest on the state of women in STEM. Hear from Erika what trends she is seeing in STEM-heavy industries for talent recruitment, attrition, employee priorities, and what leaders can do to attract and retain the best and brightest. Reference Links: Study, Women in STEM are Strugg...

In this episode of Lead to Soar, Mel, Michelle and Erika explore the ethical challenges of layoff culture and executive decision-making. Inspired by Seth Godin's Akimbo podcast, they discuss how stock options influence corporate decisions and the importance of ethical frameworks like ESG. The conversation covers the impacts of layoffs on employee trust and morale, differences in labor laws, and st...

In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, hosts Mel and Michelle discuss the pressing topic of the backlash against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the United States with special guest Erika Jefferson, founder of Black Women in Science and Engineering (BWISE).  Erika, Mel and Michelle explore the controversies and criticisms surrounding DEI, examining public statements by...

In the continuation of this deep dive into the complexities of modern leadership challenges, the Lead to Soar podcast with Mel Butcher, Erika Jefferson, and Michelle Redfern shifts focus towards organizational values, transparency, and the evolving expectations of the workforce. The conversation critically examines the traditional emphasis on mission, vision, and values within corporations, challe...

In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern are joined by Erika Jefferson to discuss into the intricate topics of loneliness, civility, and employee retention in the modern workplace. The discussion is catalysed by statistics revealing a surge in loneliness among American workers and a notable rise in workplace incivility, which has not only doubled over the past...

In this episode, the conversation turns to the future of work, specifically the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and its effects on the job landscape and the skills required of humans. Episode Highlights : AI's Impact on Jobs: The hosts explore how AI is poised to eliminate some jobs while augmenting others, raising questions about the roles humans will play in a technologically advance...