What The Fear?!

What makes people feel like they matter - and what happens when they don’t? In this episode I’m joined by Zach Mercurio - researcher, author of The Power of Mattering, and one of the leading voices on meaningful work - to explore the primal human need to matter, and the fears that surface when that need goes unmet. For more than twenty years, organisations have tried to foster employee engagement...

How competitive are we really - and what’s fear got to do with it? In this episode I’m joined by Ruchika T. Malhotra - global inclusion strategist and author of Uncompete - to question one of the most dominant assumptions in modern work and life: that success requires competition. We’re often told that competition drives performance, innovation and excellence. But what if it’s also driven by fear...

Is curiosity just a personality trait - or a skill we can practise and develop? In this episode I’m joined by Dr. Jeff Wetzler to explore what shapes our capacity for curiosity - and how fear can interfere with it, especially when we need it most. Jeff is a leadership and learning expert and the author of Ask: Tap Into the Hidden Wisdom of People Around You. His work helps leaders and teams surfac...

What if fear isn’t weakness - but data? In this episode I’m joined by Susan Asiyanbi to explore what fear looks like in leadership - and what becomes possible when we stop pushing it down. Susan is a strategist, pattern recogniser, and the person senior leaders call when facing their biggest leadership challenges. As CEO and founder of The Olori Network®, she and her team study what the strongest...

What does it really take to create a culture where people speak up - consistently and constructively? In this episode I’m joined by Stephen “Shed” Shedletzky to explore what makes it both safe and worth it for people to use their voice. Shed is a leadership speaker, coach and author of Speak-Up Culture: When Leaders Truly Listen, People Step Up. As a thought leader on psychological safety in the w...

What if the way you’ve learned to succeed is the very thing that’s exhausting you? In this episode I’m joined by Dr Pippa Grange - performance psychologist and coach with more than 25 years’ experience working with elite performers across sport and industry. Formerly Head of People and Team Development at The Football Association, she worked closely with Gareth Southgate and the England men’s foot...

How does fear quietly shape our workplace culture – and our careers? In this episode I chat with Dr. Margaret Heffernan about the cost of silence, the roots of organisational fear, and what it really takes to lead – and learn – in times of complexity, uncertainty and change. Most of us think of fear as something loud – panic, paralysis, confrontation. But Margaret invites us to notice the subtler...

How do we lead when we don’t have the answers? In this episode I chat with Rob Poynton to explore how fear and uncertainty can lead to presence, creativity and connection. Rob teaches improvisation at Oxford’s Saïd Business School and works with leaders around the world to help them navigate complexity, uncertainty and change with curiosity rather than control. We explore how improvisational princ...

How does fear show up in conflict at work - and what can we do about it? In this episode I’m joined by author and workplace dynamics expert Amy Gallo to explore how fear fuels everything from avoidance to artificial harmony - and how we can work through it with curiosity, courage and emotional intelligence. Amy is known for her work on communication, difficult conversations and healthy workplace r...

What does neuroscience tell us about trust, fear, and how we work together? In this episode I chat with Dr. Paul Zak to explore how the brain responds to fear and stress – and what that means for leadership, teamwork and performance at work. A pioneer in the neuroscience of trust, Paul shares insights from two decades of research into what drives collaboration, motivation and emotional fitness in...

What if leadership isn’t about the hero – but the ecosystem? In this conversation, I talk with leadership coach and TED Fellow David McQueen about fear, ego, and why we need systemic leadership now more than ever. David is an international speaker, business advisor and author of The BRAVE Leader: More Courage, Less Fear, Better Decisions for Inclusive Leadership. His work spans global corporations...

Is there space to think, breathe, or connect in your workday? In this episode, I talk with leadership thinker and mindfulness researcher Megan Reitz about the tension between doing and being – and how fear, power and pressure keep us stuck in overdrive. Megan is an Associate Fellow at Oxford’s Saïd Business School and co-author of Speak Up and Speak Out, Listen Up. Her latest research explores spa...

What The Fear?! is a brand new podcast with award-winning author and productivity expert Grace Marshall. We’re diving into High Functioning Fear® - the kind that hides in busyness, overthinking, people-pleasing, perfectionism and relentless productivity. The fear that shapes how we work, lead, and live, often without ever looking like fear. Each episode, Grace sits down with researchers, thinkers...