Let's talk Transformation : The business leaders podcast

It’s about creating white space in our brain, on our desk, in our inbox, on the desktop of our screens to reduce clutter.. While most leadership advice suggests adding more habits or tools, My discussion with Nell proposes that the most strategic action a leader can take is to subtract. We discuss a life's “forced stops,” which occur despite us feeling aligned and successful. Having a forced stop...

Imagine a world where leadership ignites potential, turning $200 million losses into $3 billion profits. A great conversation with Chris about transforming organisational performance, and moving beyond industrial-era practices. We explore the critical role of mood, leadership, and systems in fostering high-performing teams and how CEOs can navigate the challenges of the modern competitive landscap...

Imagine a world where AI doesn’t just automate tasks, but actively builds bridges, connecting individuals to mentorship and opportunities previously out of reach. Stephanie and I discuss how AI can level the playing field for underrepresented communities and can drive transformation, inclusion, and belonging. We explore the intersection of digital innovation and human systems, particularly looking...

When there is any deviation from expectations, grief show up, we just don't call it that... A brilliant conversation with Angela Fusaro, an emergency medicine physician and CEO, and our conversation completely shifted my perspective. Here is the powerful idea that really resonated with me: what if these feelings, these un-budgeted operating costs of change, are actually a form of grief? Not just t...

Joanna and I explore shifting from overwhelm to conscious leadership, how business owners can reclaim time, build effective systems, and cultivate inner peace to achieve success and joy in their work. When you stop drowning in the “doing,” you can finally get back to the “leading.” we dive deep into how we can reclaim our time, build systems that genuinely work for us, and, most importantly, culti...

"Plant the seeds of a tree you'll never sit under.." Andrew and I explore this mantra and what it means for leaders in today's world. We discuss a leadership approach where the ultimate goal is for the leader to become redundant. This means cultivating a team so capable that it functions better in the leader’s absence. What if the best thing a leader could do for their team was to disappear? Not t...

"Discover how to build resilience that truly supports you and your growth, not just survival." Victoria and I reflect on what we celebrate in leadership. The drive, the composure, the ability to read a room—these are often seen as peak leadership skills. But for many, these aren’t just skills. They’re survival strategies, honed long before any boardroom. We delve into the definition and applicatio...

Growth is a collective development. We should grow as a community. We should grow as a humanity, we cannot succeed individually. In a world already obssesed with growth, and AI bringing speed that we've never seen before, understanding how to intentionally design for human centred growth strategies is so important. Systems only work when the humans inside the systems are seen, valued, and allowed...

You need to treat time as sacred... In our 24/7 hustle culture this is no mean feat.. Imagine a workday where time seems to vanish, distractions fade, and your team produces their best work effortlessly. This isn’t a fantasy. It is the power of “flow states,” a concept gaining traction among forward-thinking leaders. Steven and I explore this concept of Flow, steven is a visionary who has navigate...

The biggest danger in today’s hyperconnected world isn’t moving too slowly. It’s moving too fast without understanding the system. The world today operates with unprecedented interconnectedness, where a single decision in technology can impact climate systems, and policy shifts can ripple across global supply chains. We no longer manage isolated organizations. Instead, leaders navigate a complex,...

Finance leaders often find themselves measuring the past, but what if finance could drive future decisions? Jasmine and I discuss transforming finance from a transaction-focused department to a value-driven decision enabler. This episode explores how finance leaders can leverage EQ, rethink ROI in a platform-driven economy, and overcome traditional mindsets to drive organizational growth and stay...

"If you truly want a competitive advantage, you have to start looking at the human systems involved, and make sure you understand your customer” Remember when agile and lean felt like the magic bullet for every organizational issue? We embraced them, hoping to cut waste and move faster. For a while, they really did change things, but the frameworks became the main point, and many companies ended u...

"Burnout is a choice" This bold statement by Melanie challenged my perspective. We often see burnout as an inevitable outcome of ambition, and performance. Melanie and I unpack why so many leaders are experiencing burnout, not just as “overwork,” but as nervous system overload. We explore the invisible rules about success and how they impact leadership. Are you silently running on empty, normalizi...

" Innovation is not just technology, systems and strategy, it is also about energy and embodied behaviour." Bruno and I discuss the human side of innovation and the strategic role of AI. We explore how leaders can foster creativity and manage uncertainty by adopting principles from martial arts and leveraging AI for better decision-making. Bruno brings a unique perspective, combining engineering r...

A crisis is not a dramatic event, but is any situation where circumstances exceed a person’s ability to cope.. What does this mean for leadership behaviour and psychological safety in teams ? Jessi and I discuss what trauma actually is and why it is present in organisations. We explore burnout, disengagement, and toxic culture, emphasizing the importance of intentionally designing leadership to co...

Implementing technically perfect solutions often meets unexpected resistance. Even with vast amounts of data and advanced AI, organizations struggle with decision-making. Russell and I explore why this is so. Because the problem isn’t always technical; it’s systemic. We discuss case studies where this happens and we see this pervasive structural issue. Dropping an amazing gadget into an ecosystem...

A special edition episode as part of Podcasthon , the world’s largest charity podcast event. This is dedicated to the Freedom and Justice partnership charity, which aims to bring education and inclusion to child miners in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Mark Preston’s journey began in January 2023 after reading “Cobalt Red,” a book that exposed the horrific conditions of artisanal cobalt m...

"Leadership is an art, it’s not just something we do" Research indicates over 75% of leaders remain in reactive behaviour, often avoiding difficult conversations and triggering hyper-vigilance within their teams. This creates an “intention-impact gap,” where good intentions don’t translate into desired outcomes. Susanne and I discuss the antidote to this 'immediacy' and presence. Sounds simple rig...

If you allow people to discover their voice, to claim their space, to set their boundaries… they will speak up Meggi and I discuss the concept of mindful rebellion - which isn't about anarchy, but about strategic influence and finding your voice in complex environments. This discussion explores the psychological impact of organizational identity on personal well-being, the challenges of reinventio...

"What if the secret to leading change was simpler than you think?" Most change models are built for organizations, not people. They're layered, complex, and quietly ignore the messy, human reality of what it actually takes to shift human behaviour at scale. The journey of leadership in an era of constant change demands a shift from traditional, often performative models to a more human-centered ap...

The future of digital marketing isn’t about more content; it’s about deeper connections. In an age saturated with AI-generated content, how do businesses ensure their message resonates and builds trust? Wes and I discuss this shift, and that artificial intelligence is forcing us to be more human. For founder-led businesses, this means reflecting the founder’s values and convictions. Small business...

Leadership isn’t about a position; it’s a lifelong practice. This perspective highlights the strategic use of informal networks and collaboration to drive systemic change. For decades, we have had the narrative focused on “fixing women” to fit leadership moulds rather than addressing systemic biases and looking at how to fix the system. In this conversation we explore how the very skills often dis...

Is complexity really complex of Productivity pretending to be complex ? Simon and I discuss why this is often observed in organizations. What appears as insurmountable complexity is often rooted in inefficient processes and workflows. The key is distinguishing between inherent complexity and self-imposed inefficiency. Complexity often feels like the default in organizations, making simplicity seem...

Empathy is no longer a “soft skill”; it is a hard skill, a disciplined practice, and a foundational architecture for organizational success Research shows that leaders effectively employing empathy boosted productivity by 87%, innovation by 86%, and profit by 84%. These aren’t just “soft skills”; they’re hard metrics that directly impact your bottom line. Melissa and I talk about why leaders often...

The biggest illusion organisations have about being product-centric is that adopting buzzwords or frameworks alone guarantees success. What does it mean to move from KPIs to outcomes, from silos to more interconnected ecosystems of teams ? Moving from project to product is more than a process change; it’s a mindset shift. Tim and I discuss who to help organizations connect their outcomes, their wo...