Speech Bubbles with Charlotte Otter

Making the case for leadership as a practice, not a performance. In this episode, Charlotte Otter talks to Tanmay Vora about leadership, visual storytelling, non-linear careers, and what it really takes to build a meaningful reputation. Tanmay is a founder, visual leadership facilitator, TEDx speaker, author, blogger, and former software executive who has spent more than 25 years helping people an...

Building leadership across borders, systems, and cultures. In this episode, Charlotte Otter speaks with Kave Bulambo: founder, TEDx speaker, talent expert, and cultural transformation advocate. Kave is the force behind BlackInTech Berlin, the first community of people of African descent in tech in Germany, and the founder of Talent Diverse, which connects diverse talent with inclusive organisation...

(And using AI to write your book won't help) In this episode of Speech Bubbles, host Charlotte Otter is joined by Debbie Jenkins - founder, publisher, author, marketing strategist, Stevie Award winner, and self-described horse tickler and wine enthusiast. Jenkins has written 18 books under her own name (plus ghostwritten others) and has been mentoring authors since 2004. Her company Intellectual P...

From computer scientist to communications advisor. In this episode of Speech Bubbles, Charlotte Otter talks with Dr. Michael Gerharz — author, speaker, podcaster, and former computer scientist — about why brilliant ideas so often fail for one painfully simple reason: people don’t find the right words. Michael shares his journey from the world of code (during the mobile phone revolution) into the w...

Diversity delivers value. In this episode of Speech Bubbles, Charlotte Otter talks to Barbara Salopek - Founder & CEO of Vinco Innovation, TEDx speaker, lecturer at BI Norwegian Business School, board member, and author of Future Fit Innovation - to unpack a powerful leadership truth: the very things that make you different can become your biggest advantage. Barbara, Croatian-born and Norway-based...

Just because I feel it, doesn't make it true. In this episode of Speech Bubbles, host Charlotte Otter talks to Susan Ní Chríodáin - facilitator, leadership coach, podcaster, and award-winning author of Leading Beyond the Numbers: How Accounting for Emotions Tips the Balance at Work - to unpack what happens when we stop pretending work is purely rational. Susan shares a deceptively simple idea with...

What happens when a company becomes employee-owned? In this episode of Speech Bubbles, Charlotte Otter sits down with Eithne Devine-Hynes, CEO of DeltaXignia, to unpack the leadership and cultural shift that comes with becoming an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT). Eithne explains why becoming an EOT is not a switch you flip, but a story you have to bring to life through governance, education, transp...

How a defence analyst became a reinvention coach. In this episode of Speech Bubbles, Charlotte talks with coach, speaker, and author Katia Vlachos about what it really means to become uncaged as a leader and as a human. Katia shares her journey from high-flying defence analyst to reinvention coach and author of A Great Move and Uncaged: A Good Girl’s Journey to Reinvention. She explains how invisi...

Building the future of social impact. In this episode, host Charlotte Otter talks with Zoë Colosimo, a founding member and Chief Operating Officer at Neighbourly, the UK platform connecting big brands with local communities. Neighbourly helps companies turn brand purpose into real-world impact through volunteering, grants, and redistribution of surplus food and products – delivering more than £1.7...

Exploring the art, craft, and science of story with two experts. In this episode of Speech Bubbles, Charlotte welcomes David Pullan and SarahJane McKechnie, who are actors turned coaches, authors, and co-founders of The Story Spotters. Their journey began in a rehearsal room, grew into a love story, and eventually evolved into a business where they now help leaders communicate with clarity, confid...

How your digital reputation opens possibilities. In this episode of Speech Bubbles, host Charlotte Otter talks with Australian reputation strategist Roger Christie; founder of Propel and host of Your Digital Reputation. Together they explore how leaders can use platforms like LinkedIn to earn trust, amplify impact, and change outdated archetypes of leadership – especially for women and under-repre...

PE teachers could run the world. In this episode of Speech Bubbles, host Charlotte Otter talks to award-winning entrepreneur and campaigner Antoinette Daniel — founder of Just Helpers, an ethical London cleaning agency on a mission to transform the cleaning industry. Antoinette runs three businesses, has campaigned against modern slavery, and is a TEDx speaker. She believes business should create...

How former MD Liz Bradford found purpose, resilience, and visibility. In this powerful first episode of Season 2 of Speech Bubbles, host Charlotte Otter talks to Liz Bradford, former MD and banking leader with an impressive career at HSBC, Merrill Lynch America, and SWIFT. After hitting burnout, Liz rebuilt her life and leadership from the inside out — discovering how physical resilience and a ren...

Inclusion isn't optional. 'It is extremely vulnerable to show up to work as your whole self.' Laurence Paquette is the head of marketing at Vestas in Denmark, a neurodivergent executive, queer mum, leadership coach, podcaster, and brand strategist. She also produces short, no fluff videos on leadership, burnout, imposter syndrome, and navigating work as your full self. These have earned her an aud...

Why leadership in purpose-driven organisations is so complex. "Changes usually happen not at the centre of an organisation, but at the periphery and at the edges." Daniel Atlin is a coach, communicator, strategist, fundraiser, adjunct professor, and connector with over 30 years experience in senior roles in Canada's post-secondary, cooperative, and government sectors. In this episode, he talks to...

A former Amazon exec talks vulnerability, learning, and risk-taking. "We are all icebergs and only 10% of what makes us diverse as individuals is visible above the surface." Liz Gebhard has led multi-billion, multifunction businesses in the US, EU, and worldwide. In her last role, she was head of global strategy and operations for inclusive experiences and technology at Amazon. In this conversatio...

Building a great work partnership can be life-changing. 'Very few people would be willing to step down and reverse roles with their boss.' Tech executive, board member, investor, CEO advisor, mentor, and podcaster Amy Wilson describes how as an executive she hired her best friend Meg Bear and then swopped roles with her - and how this would be unlikely to happen in an alpha male driven set-up. The...

The best emcee in the business shares leadership and speaking tips. 'It's time. I need to stand up and help, and represent, and lead.' Reputation and thought leadership expert (and wickedly brilliant emcee) Kerrie Finch describes to host Charlotte Otter how she realised it was time to come out of the wings and lead SheSays Amsterdam, a women's empowerment forum that welcomes men to its ranks but n...

Reflecting on the book launch and a new career as a podcaster. Reinventing yourself as a podcaster while launching a book. In this episode, Charlotte answers listener questions on how the launch of We Need New Leaders has gone - including an event at the IABC World conference in Vancouver and a book party in London - as well as her thoughts about starting a podcast. She says Speech Bubbles is the...

A leader finds new ways of working and being. In this episode, Emily Monsell-Holden (marketing and branding expert and now co-founder of The Impact Apothecary) talks to host Charlotte Otter about redefining women's success beyond motherhood, the importance of diverse narratives, and the healing power of sharing personal stories. Emily is a founder, TEDX speaker, mentor, podcast host, and regenerat...

How immersing herself in community helps this leader create lasting impact. In this episode, leader and founder Aparna Bhasin talks to host Charlotte Otter about how she's shifting her consulting work towards participatory research that embeds itself in community. Aparna Bhasin is a founder, facilitator, and coach. Her business, Aparna Bhasin Consulting, recently hit its ten-year milestone and gav...

A CEO founds and codes a startup to help execs get comfortable with AI. In this episode, Allegra Patrizi (former CEO of Aegon Netherlands, former MD Virgin Money, and now founder of Claridora AI) talks to host Charlotte Otter about helping executives get over their fear of AI, teaching herself to code, and making a difference in other people's lives. In her long career, Allegra has held a wide var...

Fix the system, and not the women. In this episode, Sabine Rath (change manager, Agile leadership coach, keynote speaker, lecturer, and thought leader) talks to host Charlotte Otter about how Germany's maternity leave system creates the lifetime earning gap, how men taking paternity leave needs to become the norm (even CEOs, imagine!), and how we need to de-gender care. Sabine brings a specific le...

Empathy and collaboration are the tools for our future. In this episode, Dr Ernesto Marinelli (Chief People Officer at Aareon Group, LGBTQ+ ally, and leadership expert) talks to host Charlotte Otter about the power of empathy, inclusivity, and collaboration in the age of AI. Ernesto's lens on how to lead means he focuses on employee success (not engagement - hooray!), outcomes not processes, and f...

Building inclusion through listening and learning. In this episode, Joanne Lockwood (founder and CEO of SEE Change Happen, a DEI practice with a specialism in transgender awareness) talks to host Charlotte Otter about living and working as a trans woman. Trans rights shifted in the UK with the Supreme Court ruling on 16 April 2025 that the legal definition of a woman was based on biological sex. J...