The Culture Colonel

Apprenticeships aren’t just about training... they’re about opportunity, potential and transformation.   At just 23 years old, Kaylee Mcisaac has already faced more than most - and achieved more than many. A Plant Maintenance Electrical Engineering Apprentice at BAE Systems and winner of nine awards (including BAE Systems Apprentice of the Year), Kaylee’s story is one of resilience, responsib...

The Naval Servicewomen’s Network is more than a support group - it’s a catalyst for culture change.   In this episode, Lindsay MacDuff, The Culture Colonel, speaks with Lieutenant Commander Fran Crowsley-Allen and Warrant Officer Kim Wyche, co-chairs of the Naval Servicewomen’s Network (NSN). Together, they offer a powerful and personal account of the work being done to shift the li...

⚠️ Content Note: This episode contains discussions of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and military sexual trauma from the start. Please listen with care. Support resources are available on our website at  bfbs.com/audience support . Real change needs courage - and a refusal to stay silent. In this powerful finale to Series 2, Lindsay MacDuff, the Culture Colonel, sits down with Sarah Ather...

Your team doesn’t need a superhero. It needs someone who listens. In this refreshingly honest and insightful episode, Lindsay MacDuff, the Culture Colonel, is joined by organisational psychologist and bestselling author Zena Everett, whose book ' Badly Behaved People: How to Deal with Idiots at Work'  is equal parts hilarious and scathing -because sometimes the idiot in the workplace… is us....

Content Warning:  This episode contains discussions of racism and trauma from the start. Please listen with care. Support resources are available on our website at  bfbs.com/audience support . Racism doesn’t disappear with time - it disappears with action. In this deeply important and courageous episode, Lindsay MacDuff, the Culture Colonel, speaks with Richard Stokes, the British Army’s...

What happens when you realise that success, as it’s traditionally defined, isn’t serving you? In this episode, Tabitha Smith-Lawrence, Defence Psychologist & Endometriosis Champion, shares how she redefined success on her own terms; choosing purpose, authenticity, and well-being over performance-driven burnout. In a bold act of self-reflection, she stepped away from the expectations placed upo...

Forty-six days. Over 3,000 miles. One ocean. Four extraordinary women. In this episode, Lindsay MacDuff, the Culture Colonel, sits down with the incredible Force Atlantic team - the first all-female British Army team to row across the Atlantic Ocean. Captain Imogen ‘Imy‘ O'Brien, Captain Sheridan Lucas MBE, Major Rebecca Glover and Corporal Emma Gibb share the raw, honest story of their record-bre...

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of homophobia and discrimination, which some may find offensive. Listener discretion is advised. For 38 years, Dougie Morgan served in the British Army; respected on operations, but haunted by a secret he couldn’t share. Behind the discipline and duty was a man forced to hide his identity in an institution where being gay once meant risking everyth...

Trigger Warning -  This episode contains discussion of childhood abuse, neglect, and trauma. Please take care while listening, or consider skipping this episode. If you're affected by the themes and need support, resources are available on our website. For years, Wing Commander Jacqui Wilkinson kept her past hidden - masking a childhood marked by abuse, neglect, and trauma behind th...

Sara Catterall, Strategic Command Warrant Officer, brings passion, purpose, and people-first thinking to the heart of Defence. With a leadership style rooted in inclusion, curiosity, and psychological safety, Sara is reshaping what it means to lead in today’s military landscape. In this episode, Lindsay MacDuff, the Culture Colonel, speaks with Sara about what it takes to build a culture where ind...

Get Curious Before You Get Critical – with Siobhán Sheridan Leaving school at 15,  Siobhán Sheridan CBE  has forged a remarkable career through grit, learning, and deep curiosity. Now Chief People Officer at the Financial Conduct Authority, she brings decades of experience across the financial sector, Civil Service, and Defence, specialising in organisational and cultural change. In this...

⚠️️ Trigger Warning ⚠️️ This episode contains discussion of suicide. If you're affected by the themes and need support - resources are listed below or available on our website . After a 40-year career in the British Army, Baz Melia MBE has taken on one of the most urgent and emotionally complex missions of his life: tackling veteran suicide. Now leading The Always a Rifleman Programme (AARP), Baz...

As the first non-military Chief of Defence Intelligence, Adrian Bird is bringing a fresh perspective to one of the UK’s most high-stakes organisations. Appointed in September 2022, he draws on decades of experience in the intelligence community, including his time as Director-General at GCHQ.   At the heart of his leadership? A commitment to fostering collaboration, valuing diversity, an...

From the Situation Room to the boardroom, Caitlin Hayden’s career has been nothing short of remarkable. With a background that spans the U.S. Department of State, the National Security Council under President Obama, and now a senior leadership role at BAE Systems, Caitlin brings a wealth of experience in public affairs, international relations, and strategic communications. In this episode, Lindsa...

For the past four years, Paul Carney has served as the British Army’s Command Sergeant Major, acting as the critical link between senior leadership and soldiers on the ground. Thoughtful, passionate, and deeply committed to the people he represents, Paul has worked tirelessly to amplify the voices of those often unheard, shaping a culture of learning, honesty, and continuous improvement within the...

The Culture Colonel is back.  And we’re still asking the questions that matter. What makes a leader? What shapes a culture? And what happens when we stop pretending everything’s fine? In Series 2, our podcast host Lindsay MacDuff returns with more honest, powerful conversations about leadership, identity, and the culture we create around us. This time, we go even deeper. From stories of peopl...

Welcome to our series finale where we share the highlights from our Leading Storytellers event. You'll hear how and why we make the podcast as BFBS Creative's Head of Content Alex Griffiths puts The Culture Colonel, Lindsay Macduff and Senior Audio Producer Josella Waldron on the spot in front of a live audience. You'll also hear Alex in conversation with a panel of our podcast guests - Gemma Morg...

What's improved the lived experience of women in the Armed Forces over the last two decades? Warrant Officer Sim Rezazadeh-Wilson knows and she's pushing for more longer term change. Sim is a Royal Air Force Logistics Movement specialist.  She is the Deputy Advocate for the RAF’s Gender Network and she's on the committee of the Healing Military Minds fund raising machine.  Proud of her P...

Reverend (Group Captain) Ruth Hake is the Royal Air Force’s Deputy Chaplain in Chief.  Here she shares her remarkable journey to becoming a Royal Air Force padre; not least her reticence to be a vicar. Ruth discusses the unique role of chaplains in the Armed Forces and their vital work to provide pastoral and spiritual support.    Ruth reflects on the value of appropriate...

Tim “Grimmers” Grimley is a Captain in the Royal Navy who unexpectedly became the Lead Ally to the Naval Servicewomen’s Network, a role which has opened his eyes to the experience of women in the Armed Forces. From ill-fitting kit to poor supplies of period products, Grimmers is always keen to learn about the difficulties servicewomen are faced with and how they impact combat effectiveness. He tel...

Olympian, Doctor and Army Reservist, Dr Kerenza Bryson’s achievements are super impressive. This year she's been a full-time Modern Pentathlete. She is the current European champion and represented Team GB at the Olympic Games in Paris. Alongside elite sport, she is a qualified doctor and an officer in the British Army Reserve. Evidently Kerenza has all the necessary qualities to succeed in elite...

Lieutenant General Richard Nugee served for 36 years in the Army and in the Ministry of Defence. He spent many years on operations and he specialised in the people space; finishing as Chief of Defence People. He also led a review into climate change policy and sustainability in the Ministry of Defence. Richard’s knowledge and understanding of effective leadership and culture change has develo...

Toni Harding is an Aeronautical Engineer in the Royal Navy. She is a STEM Ambassador, mentor and works with the United Kingdom’s Armed Forces rugby team – often wearing leopard print heels!  She is a thoughtful, energetic, positive disruptor who, after only four jobs in the Royal Navy, has been making big waves.  Toni has oceans of moral courage and strongly believes that good thing...

Nick Wood’s military service was dominated by 20 years of operations and defined by the privilege of leading, and following, remarkable people.   His transition out of the Army coincided with Covid which complicating the challenge of landing well. Now he is leading differently in professional services.  Nick reflects on the honour of leading and the importance of learning from everyone i...

Former England netballer Major Jo Vann is a Regimental Second in Command in the Army Air Corps. She's also a coach, inspirational speaker and entrepreneur. Jo tells Lindsay how sport and teamwork has enriched her life. She revels in creating cohesive teams and recognises the importance of celebrating and valuing difference – in elite sport and in the Army.  Jo radiates positivity in spite of...