The HR Uprising Podcast

Lucinda talks with Chris Jay, CEO of Bascule Disability Training, about transforming workplace cultures around disability. Chris draws from his personal experiences as a wheelchair user managing anxiety and depression to challenge negative stereotypes and explain how organisations can authentically support neurodiverse and disabled employees. By focusing on outcome-based performance rather than ri...

Author, keynote speaker, and Passion Collective community founder Laura Best shares her personal journey from corporate burnout to becoming a leading expert on the power of passion in the workplace. Moving beyond simple definitions of engagement and purpose, Laura introduces the academic framework of the Dualistic Model of Passion, distinguishing between healthy harmonious passion and destructive...

Lucinda welcomes career and leadership coach Laura Ogilvie-Jones to explore the rising corporate phenomenon of "comparativitis" where high-performing, senior professionals secretly lose confidence due to the pressures of social media, rapid technological change, and AI.  Laura shares her insightful, values-driven coaching methods such as the North Arrow and Buzz Sheets to reveal how HR professiona...

Lucinda talks to HR transformation specialist Sharon Green to demystify the evolving world of independent people professionals. Sharon draws on her extensive 20-year career to clearly distinguish between traditional interim management and the emerging trend of fractional HR, which offers scalable, long-term strategic leadership for growing businesses that don't yet need a full-time executive.  Pac...

Lucinda talks to John Tarrant, Managing Partner at DNA, to dissect the critical role of the Employee Value Proposition (EVP) in 2026. Moving far beyond simple marketing imagery, John explains how modern EVP must be an authentic statement of intent that bridges the gap between leadership perception and the daily reality of the workforce.  From navigating the post-COVID trust deficit to leveraging A...

Lucinda reunites with leadership and culture specialist Aoife O’Brien to explore how organisational thinking has shifted over the last five years.  Moving beyond the foundational concept of "belonging," Aoife introduces her Thriving Talent framework—a holistic temple model built upon psychological safety and supported by three critical pillars: Workplace Culture, Individual Drivers, and Organisati...

Lucinda explores the critical intersection of AI governance and compliance within modern organisations with special guest John Rude, founder of Perceptual, who emphasises that as major regulations like the EU AI Act emerge, AI oversight must transition from a niche IT concern to a cross-functional responsibility involving HR, legal, and executive leadership.  They discuss how high-risk application...

Lucinda talks to Paolo Gaudiano, a scientist and entrepreneur who applies computer simulations and analytics to the field of DEI.  Paolo challenges traditional diversity initiatives that focus solely on demographic quotas, arguing instead for a data-driven focus on inclusion. By linking specific workplace problems, such as exclusion from meetings or career development disparities, to tangible fina...

Lucinda welcomes Dr. Enya Doyle, known as the "harassment doctor," to discuss effective strategies for preventing harassment in the workplace.  Dr. Doyle shares her background in academic research, particularly her PhD on sexism in classical music, and emphasises the importance of recognising and addressing harassment in all organisational settings, especially in smaller businesses where HR resour...

Lucinda welcomes special guest Gary Cookson, an expert in leadership development and author of the upcoming book, The Squeezed Middle, to talk about the evolving and often invisible role of middle managers, who act as vital buffers and translators between senior strategy and frontline execution.  They explore how modern shifts like hybrid work, AI integration, and a greater organisational focus on...

Lucinda is in discussion with Roxanne Hobbs, founder of the Hobbs Consultancy, about the importance of leading with heart in the workplace.  They look at how empathetic leadership can foster inclusive and high-performing cultures, and Roxanne shares her journey from the advertising industry to advocating for women in leadership, highlighting the significance of balancing empathy with accountabilit...

Lucinda discusses the critical importance of employee communication with Sally Pritchett, CEO of Something Big, a creative communications agency.  Sally shares her insights on the evolving landscape of workplace communication, the challenges of information overload and the changing expectations of employees who seek transparency and authenticity from their leaders. They also explore the significan...

Lucinda welcomes suicide prevention expert, Jessi Beyer, to discuss the critical yet often overlooked topic of suicide prevention in the workplace.  Jessi shares her personal journey into this field, stemming from a life-changing experience in high school, and emphasises the importance of equipping non-mental health professionals, particularly HR practitioners, with the tools to recognise and resp...

Lucinda welcomes Tabbin Almond, author of "Bottling Up Trouble," to discuss the impact of alcohol in the workplace.  As the holiday season approaches, they explore the cultural norms surrounding drinking, particularly in corporate settings, and the challenges faced by individuals struggling with alcohol use. Tabbin shares a personal journey to becoming alcohol-free and highlights the stigma that p...

Stop treating compliance and HR as an administrative balancing act and find clarity. Join Lucinda on Compliance Culture as she explores why organisational culture is the key to embedding compliance in practice - moving beyond the just avoiding fines attitude to achieve better outcomes for customers, employees, and organisations. Introducing the launch of our brand new spinoff podcast : Compliance...

Lucinda speaks with data protection expert Sarah Hodgkin-Bates about the critical overlap between HR and compliance, specifically regarding the handling of employee personal data.  They examine the importance of setting a company culture of transparency and cooperation by properly managing data protection, and discuss the legal frameworks governing data (GDPR/Data Protection Act 2018), how to mana...

Lucinda speaks with Kate Fletcher, founder of FutureX Leaders, about the evolving landscape of leadership and the emotional challenges leaders face today.  They discuss the findings of recent research highlighting that a significant number of leaders feel pressured to perform rather than be their authentic selves, leading to emotional exhaustion, and highlight the importance of intentional leaders...

Lucinda is joined by special guest Matthew Adam, to look at the concept of systemic psychotherapy, exploring how its principles, rooted in understanding the interconnected nature of relationships within a system, are highly relevant to organisational leadership.  Using a 5x5 model framework—which balances five essential team functions against five common team dysfunctions—they examine the active,...

Lucinda is joined by allyship expert Julie Kratz, who discusses her research on why people with power often disengage from conversations about diversity and inclusion, feeling either "threatened" or "irrelevant."  Together they explore her latest book, which outlines a "use fear as fuel" strategy and introduces a framework for building allyship programs. Julie stresses that everyone has power and...

Lucinda looks at the critical role of organisational culture in driving high performance and compliance, emphasising that culture, often defined as "the way we do things around here," significantly influences employee engagement, behaviour, and decision-making.  She also discusses practical tools for mapping and diagnosing culture, such as Cameron and Quinn's cultural diagnostics and the cultural...

Lucinda examines talent retention and development, building on the previous discussion about attracting talent, and emphasising the importance of creating a high-performance culture that not only draws in great people but also keeps them engaged and motivated. Lucinda explores the evolving definition of talent, highlighting the need for inclusivity and recognising diverse contributions within orga...

Lucinda examines the critical topic of recruiting and onboarding talent as part of the high-performance series, stressing the fact that attracting and retaining the right people is not merely an HR task but a strategic business priority that requires clarity and collaboration KEY TAKEAWAYS Before starting the recruitment process, it's essential to have a clear understanding of the role's requireme...

Lucinda discusses the importance of cultivating a learning culture within organisations, emphasising that learning should be embedded in every aspect of organisational life rather than limited to traditional training courses. Drawing on insights from industry experts, the episode explores the concept of psychological safety and its role in fostering an environment where employees feel safe to ask...

Lucinda studies the topic of "Reward for Performance: What Really Works?" as part of our high-performance series. She explores the multifaceted nature of rewards, emphasising that while monetary compensation is often the first thought, it is not the only—or necessarily the most effective—motivator for high performance. The discussion covers the importance of defining high performance within organi...

Lucinda welcomes returning guest Dr. Jo Burrell, a clinical psychologist and co-founder of Ultimate Resilience. They delve into the alarming findings of the latest HR Wellbeing Report, which reveals that nearly half of HR professionals are experiencing clinical levels of depression, significantly higher than the general population. With over 1,400 respondents, the report highlights a stark dispari...