Secrets From a Coach - Debbie Green & Laura Thomson's Podcast

Send us Fan Mail In this third episode in our Maximising Hybrid Working mini-series we explore how to make the most of the days we are in-person. For those fortunate enough to have this option available, we share tips for planning ahead and balancing the workload of being in-person whilst your 'digital twin' is silently gathering more emails. If you use your in-person time to sit glued t...

Send us Fan Mail Ever felt like an island in the vast ocean of remote work? Join us as we unravel the complex tapestry of remote team dynamics and reveal how to keep the collaborative spirit alive—even when you're miles apart. We dive into the struggle of maintaining that social butterfly energy in isolation, the art of communication without physical cues, and the bittersweet symphony of reun...

Send us Fan Mail In this second episode of our 4-part series looking at Maximising Hybrid Working, we focus on how to enable effective teamwork. Whether fully remote, or mixing in working from home days with in-office days,  successful teamwork makes the difference for sustaining success during the ups and downs of change or disruption, and for maintaining operational performance under pressure or...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the first in our 4-part series looking at Maximising Hybrid Working. With nearly 50% of workers working in some kind of hybrid pattern, the trial period is now over. With hot topics such as life/work balance, handling workload, avoiding burnout and creating an engaged workforce, now is a good time to check in on any temporary  workarounds, before they become permanent f...

Send us Fan Mail In the third of our 4-part series focusing on Opportunity Mindset, we discuss what having an abundant mindset as a team means in practice. Abundance can be described as the belief that success is possible and that there are no set limits to opportunity.  This creates a team environment where people are happy for each other's success, celebrate each other's wins and genui...

Send us Fan Mail In the second of our 4-part series focusing on Opportunity Mindset, we explore the concept of optimism and the impact this has on individual wellness, team morale and keeping successful and performing during challenge. Rather than a pretence of everything being rosy when its not, we look at practical tips for keeping optimistic and  using language that enables a realistic approach...

Send us Fan Mail In the first of our 4-part series focusing on Opportunity Mindset, we look at the ever-popular topic of setting goals. Goals need to come with a health-warning: when they are met they can be exhilarating and boost confidence and self-belief; if they are not met then it can be demoralising and depress our energy and self-esteem. We discuss the importance of setting goals that are a...

Send us Fan Mail In the final episode in our Sustaining Your Sparkle series we explore the ancient philosophies of the Stoics first documented over 2000 years ago. As the waves of change ripple around our workplaces and society as a whole, looking after ourselves and each other is almost a job in itself.  Reframing setback is key to personal wellness and team morale.  The Stoics regarded obstacles...

Send us Fan Mail In the third in our Sustaining Your Sparkle series we focus on the soft aspects of performance excellence. Some roles are easy to link to hard measures like revenue, profit margins, customer feedback scores; making a performance conversation quite straightforward to know your worth and describe your value. But it can be a challenge to articulate what you’ve contributed if there ar...

Send us Fan Mail In the second of our 4-part focus on Sustaining Your Sparkle we explore the concept of empowerment. A popular theme, we look at the practical aspects of being empowered e.g. speaking up, asking for what you want, challenging status quo etc. We balance this with the tools for empowering others e.g. letting others speak up, responding to requests and handling being challenged in a m...

Send us Fan Mail In the first of our 4-part focus on Sustaining Your Sparkle we explore the empowering impact of owning our success story. Research suggests that taking a personal narrative approach to our ‘life story of identity’ can be a life-changing moment. When we shift from actor to author in our life we are more likely to take confident choices and be more resilient in the face of adversity...

Send us Fan Mail This final episode in our 4-part series about taking a genuine approach to D&I is all about not just talking the talk but walking the walk in everyday practice.  Whether its 'calling out' inappropriate behaviour in a group setting (heart's pounding - do I say something or let it slide?) or a 'calling in' conversation that helps a well-meaning colleague...

Send us Fan Mail This 4-part series focuses on how we can take a genuine approach to D&I in our workplaces and this third episode is where we focus on what leaders can do to create a thriving and inclusive place to work. We view leadership with 'a little L' as we are all leaders at some point in our working day - its the moment where you take the lead in a conversation, decision or a...

Send us Fan Mail This 4-part series focuses on how we can take a genuine approach to D&I in our workplaces, and this week's focus is on how to create the right culture for inclusion. Culture can be simply described as 'how we do things around here' and can make or break someone's experience at work in seconds. An organisation may claim to be inclusive and welcome diversity,...

Send us Fan Mail This 4-part series focuses on how we can take a genuine approach to D&I in our workplaces in order to create a thriving culture together.  Equality, Diversity and Inclusion are big words for society in general which need to be carefully navigated to future-proof a successful team culture.  To be different is to be human but we humans don’t always make it easy. In this first on...

Send us Fan Mail In the final of our 4-part focus on stretching our comfort zone we focus on what it takes to make a complete career transformation.  They say 'if you love what you do, then you'll never work a day in your life' (attributed to  Mark Twain and Confucius), but for many, life's realities and responsibilities means staying stuck in jobs that do not make best use of...

Send us Fan Mail Nerves may not be pleasant but it is less damaging than regrets.  Welcome to the third in our 4-part focus all about stretching our comfort zone - and this one is all about how to steady the nerves and channel short-term discomfort into long-term growth and confidence. We are joined by the fabulous Performance Coach Karl Green who shares his tips from a life on the stage for acces...

Send us Fan Mail For all you long-servers out there....Welcome to the second in our 4-part focus all about stretching our comfort zone. Has the thrill gone in your job? This episode goes out to all those who are either themselves got years of long-service, or who are managing people in their team who have have been in the same role or organisation for a while. Like in any relationship, at some poi...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the first in our 4-part focus all about stretching our comfort zone. Pushing ourselves to boost confidence, energy and pride but without feeling negative pressure and stress. This episode is all about setting a Personal Development Plan (PDP) which is a great way to set stretch goals that enable a sense of progress over time. Setting a PDP is a tangible reminder that a)...

Send us Fan Mail In this fifth in our focus on Maximising Performance, we explore how to enable neurodivergent people to perform in their work and considering the richness of actively encouraging different brains to have a voice and contribute in a workplace. Joined by the inspirational Karen Tootill  we explore how to unlock the benefits of including different thinking perspectives rather than se...

Send us Fan Mail In this fourth in our focus on Maximising Performance, we look at how to manage performance fairly during times of change and disruption. If performance happens in a static environment then it would be easy to fairly judge an up or down turn. But how do you do it the industry in work in has suffered disruption - is it me, or 'life'? If performance was 100% based on black...

Send us Fan Mail The third in our Maximising Performance focus, we look at the hot topic of giving feedback the right way. Suggested by listeners, the impact a poorly delivered bit of feedback can be huge: devastating confidence, prompting resignations and destroying trust and relationships. But it doesn't have to be that way! Feedback is a healthy part of everyday performance conversations....

Send us Fan Mail Second in our 5-part focus on Maximising Performance . How many eyes roll when they know its Performance Review time?  Yet this should be the one time of year that should be motivating than any other - a decent quality conversation where a proper conversation can take place can be transformational:  for good or for bad! Many managers have never have received training themselves on...

Send us Fan Mail This is the first in our 5-part focus on Maximising Performance. Balancing compassion with productivity has always been a challenge in any industry, but with our rapidly evolving workplace with hybrid working and matrix dynamic org structures, managing performance is a hot topic. Many managers have never have received training themselves on how to manage performance well so not ev...

Send us Fan Mail Roll with us in this final in our 4-part focus on 'The Management Frontier'  - the challenges a manager needs to handle these days is vast and evolving and tricky to predict. Along the rollercoaster of change, it is essential to keep your seatbelt tightly fastened - for yourself as well as others.  Managers have emotions too.  Managing change would be easy if it were jus...