She Leads Collective Podcast: stories, allyship and confidence tools for women

Send us Fan Mail What happens when the biggest leadership challenge isn't at work—but in your own life? Leadership consultant and coach Isabelle Courtney-Guy has spent more than twenty years helping organisations navigate complexity, culture and change. Then everything changed when she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. In this deeply honest conversation, Isabelle shares...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when outward success no longer feels enough? In this episode of the She Leads Collective Podcast, Mary is joined by entrepreneur and founder Carmel Saulbrey. After building and selling one of the UK's largest school photography businesses, Carmel could have retired. Instead, she followed a deeper sense of purpose into children's residential care. Today she o...

Send us Fan Mail What happens at work when life falls apart at home? We talk openly about maternity, menopause, wellbeing and bereavement, but one major life transition remains largely invisible in many workplaces: divorce. In this episode of the She Leads Collective Podcast, I’m joined by family lawyer and partner at Taylor Walton Solicitors, Tamara Glanvill, who has spent more than 30 years help...

Send us Fan Mail This week on the She Leads Collective Podcast, I'm joined by women's health advocate, senior leader and Co-Chair of Menopause Mandate, Tina Backhouse. Tina's story is extraordinary. After losing both parents as a baby and growing up in care, she developed a resilience and self-belief that would later help her build a successful leadership career and become one of th...

Send us Fan Mail What can leading in war zones, disaster zones and some of the world's most complex environments teach us about leadership? In this inspiring episode of the She Leads Collective Podcast, Mary Gregory is joined by award-winning entrepreneur, speaker, international business expert and author of the best selling book Go For Goosebumps, Helen Gibson MBE. Helen has built and led bu...

Send us Fan Mail What if we are waiting far too long to teach confidence, money and leadership? By the time many women step into the workplace, beliefs around money, ambition and possibility may already have formed. In this episode of The She Leads Collective Podcast , I’m joined by Jayne Brewer , CEO of 2B Enterprising — an organisation bringing enterprise, employability and financial education i...

Send us Fan Mail Why are women still receiving only around 2% of venture capital funding in 2026 — despite the evidence showing that businesses led by women consistently outperform? In this eye-opening episode of the She Leads Collective Podcast, Mary Gregory speaks with entrepreneur, investor and author David B Horne about the systemic barriers women continue to face when seeking funding for thei...

Send us Fan Mail So much of the conversation around women and money focuses on gaps — pay gaps, pension gaps, investment gaps and funding gaps. But what if the deeper issue is also about confidence, exposure, access and invitation? In this episode, Mary is joined by Yasmine El Mehairy, entrepreneur, educator and fintech leader, for the first in a three-part mini-series exploring women and finance....

Send us Fan Mail What does leadership look like when you do not fit the traditional mould? In this episode of the She Leads Collective Podcast, Mary is joined by Akua Opong, Senior Engineer at the London Stock Exchange Group, advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, mentor, volunteer and powerful role model for women in STEM. Akua shares her journey from wanting to become a paediatrician, to...

Send us Fan Mail What if the problem isn’t your confidence, but the system you’re trying to succeed in? In this episode of the She Leads Collective Podcast, Mary Gregory is joined by Lauren Neal, chartered engineer, chartered project professional, founder of Valued at Work and author of the book of the same name. Lauren has spent nearly two decades delivering complex projects in the energy sector,...

Send us Fan Mail Why do so many high-performing women still carry the invisible weight of running everything at home? In this second conversation with Steph Douglas, we shift the focus from business to what’s happening behind the scenes — and why it matters more than we often acknowledge. In this follow-up episode, Mary continues the conversation with Steph Douglas, founder of Don’t Buy Her Flower...

Send us Fan Mail What if the best business ideas don’t come from grand strategy, but from noticing something small that others simply accept? In this episode, Mary speaks with Steph Douglas, founder of Don’t Buy Her Flowers , about how a deeply personal experience as a new mum became the starting point for a thoughtful, values-led gifting business. After receiving multiple bouquets of flowers afte...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Season 3 of the She Leads Collective Podcast . In this opening episode, I explore a question that sits at the heart of this season: If progress for women at work is real… why do so many day-to-day experiences still feel unchanged? The picture isn’t simple. There is progress—and that matters. And there are still realities happening every day that tell a very different st...

Send us Fan Mail What sits beneath success… when it no longer feels like enough? In this reflective solo episode, Mary Gregory closes Season 2 of the She Leads Collective Podcast by exploring the deeper patterns that have emerged across this series of conversations. From identity shifts and invisible pressure, to systemic bias and the “undiscussables” that quietly shape how we lead—this episode br...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when the story of being a “good mother” becomes impossible to live up to? In this honest and powerful conversation, Mary Gregory is joined by entrepreneur, speaker and F*** Mum Guilt founder Leila Green to explore motherhood, identity, work, masking, unrealistic expectations and the hidden pressures women carry when they return to work after having children. Together...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when you’ve done everything right in your career, delivered results, built credibility, and yet still find yourself wondering, is this really it ? In this episode of the She Leads Collective Podcast , Mary Gregory is joined by Deboleena Dasgupta , a senior people, culture and change leader with a 25-year career in global banking, including leadership roles at HSBC, St...

Send us Fan Mail What if the way we’ve designed work is quietly undermining the performance we say we want? In this episode, Mary is joined by journalist, speaker and leadership consultant Harriet Minter —founder of The Guardian’s Women in Leadership section and partner at Leap Leadership —to explore why “always-on” has become normal, what it’s doing to our brains and culture, and how we can build...

Send us Fan Mail When we talk about gender equity at work, we often focus on bias, representation and leadership behaviour. But equity according to whose cultural rules? In this episode, I’m joined by Victoria Rennoldson , best-selling author of Become a Global Leader and founder of Culture Cuppa. Victoria specialises in cultural intelligence and global leadership, helping organisations navigate c...

Send us Fan Mail As International Women’s Day approaches, the invitation in this episode is to reflect on this year’s theme: Give to Gain . But what happens when women are already giving — generously, consistently, and often invisibly? In this honest and deeply human conversation, Mary Gregory speaks with senior leader and long-time collaborator Sinead Laverty about: The moment Sinead realised she...

Send us Fan Mail What if women’s safety stopped being framed as something women have to manage — and started being treated as a societal responsibility we all share? In this episode of the She Leads Collective Podcast , Mary Gregory is joined by Amy Watson , social impact entrepreneur and founder of HASSL — a global movement and social enterprise tackling harassment and violence against women at t...

Send us Fan Mail What does it really mean to be a resilient leader — and how is that different from simply being resilient and pushing through? Mary Gregory is joined by Alex Webb and Skye Deane , co-founders of Resilient Women Leaders , for a warm, practical conversation about navigating career headwinds , rebuilding confidence, and leading sustainably through uncertainty, change — and even crisi...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when success comes at too high a cost — and your body forces you to stop? In this powerful and deeply human conversation, I’m joined once again by Lee Chambers , this time to explore his own leadership journey — one shaped by ambition, adversity, caregiving, and profound personal transformation. Lee shares how burnout and serious illness in his twenties led him to rel...

Send us Fan Mail What if one of the most powerful things a leader can do isn’t to fix others — but to understand themselves first? In this episode of the She Leads Collective Podcast , I’m joined by Lucy Philip , winner of Best Female Leader at the Best Business Women Awards, founder of Purposefully Blended (now celebrating 10 years), former nurse, coach, and single parent to three children. Lucy...

Send us Fan Mail Part 2 of 2 episodes with Penny De Valk. Why are organisations still losing talented women — and why does this pattern persist, even when leaders genuinely want things to change? In this second episode of a two-part conversation, Mary Gregory and Penny De Valk move beyond individual leadership journeys to examine the systems shaping women’s experiences at work today. Drawing on Pe...

Send us Fan Mail Why are so many talented women still walking out of organisations — despite decades of investment in leadership development, diversity initiatives and good intent? In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Mary Gregory is joined by Penny De Valk — former MD, CEO and Board Director, and now a global leadership development expert working across the UK, New Zealand and the US. Penny s...