Women Who Lead

Claire Haidar is a human whose perspective on the future of work is truly thought leading. She leads WYNDR and Pattryn, both organisations focused on smartly crafting the future of work.  If we want to see whether we can reimagine the idea of work together, considering the smart approaches that Claire mentions will stand us in great stead. We had a few sound issues, but I hope that I have man...

Maylis Djikalou is a true thought leader in the human transformation space. We connected via our wild minds on a panel and have since become thought partners on life, love and the human condition.  In this episode Maylis shares a powerful perspective on how we might lead ourselves to show up better for others.  We spoke of things like:  🥞 The genuine challenge with authenticity and...

Kevin Goldsmith is a brilliant human who has led engineering teams with some phenomenal organisations. He’s someone who intentionally builds his teams to try to craft an environment where humans truly thrive and I love that about him.  He’s been reimagining how people show up together in teams for a while, and has a tonne of goodness to share with us all on some of the things he has been invo...

To kick off season two,  I was delighted to host Steve Cadigan . Steve is an Author (of the brilliant Workquake ), Speaker and Advisor on People, Culture and the future of work as we know it. When I first connected with Steve just over a year ago, I was immediately struck by his passion around this topic.  If we want to see whether we can reimagine the idea of work together, he felt like...

Welcome back to Pancakes and Peacocks 🥞🦚 2022 will see a little shift in focus for this podcast. The energy is still the same - to inspire people towards creating a life that feels truly joyful - but with the focus on reimagining the idea of work, to create the space for us all to thrive and belong. As a People and Talent person for over two decades, I realised this year that I have seen similar...

Jeff Lester is a brilliant human living a life less ordinary. For the past six years he hasn’t spent time in one place for more than two months at a time. He also teaches yoga, and supports humans with courses that help them uncover the parts of themselves that have long since been forgotten.  We met over the airwaves, with him currently in Atlanta, Georgia and me in London:  🥞 The simp...

Nelio Rodrigues is a teacher of many, and has become part of the fabric of the Notting Hill community through his teaching of Capoeira. At a time where I was seeking belonging, he and his students offered me a place in there community and embraced me. His ability to unlock and harness greatness in others is just one of the things that inspires me about him.  We met over the airwaves, though f...

I count myself very fortunate to have met Cait O’Riordan on my career path (and life path). She has a big grown up job leading a lot of humans to do brilliant things as Chief Product and Information Officer at the FT, but does so with awe inspiring humanity and a GSOH.  We met over the airwaves, rather than our usual pre COVID breakfast catch up, and had a wonderful conversation that covered:...

David Kam  is someone who I immediately became smitten with when I happened upon one of his yoga classes a few years ago. His commitment to his craft - currently one of inviting others to develop their holistic wellbeing via movement - is just one of the many things that inspires me about him. We formed a friendship and our conversations over the years have always been expansive and inspiring...

Liz Whitney is a leadership coach who adopts a mindset of total integrity and straightforwardness, and I love that about her. She shifted her career from one in the creative world a number of years ago, after accidentally discovering her new path through experience.  We met over the airwaves, as ever, and had a wonderful conversation that covered: 🥞 The importance of your own healing journey...

Kaya Cansfield is a life force. Our energies connected in the dark when I first attended her spin classes at Psycle London after she made the leap from corporate life a few years ago (she's also since become both a Coach and Deejay). Her expansive journey over the past few years and her obvious growth in that time  are just some of the many things that inspire me about her.  We met over...

Andrew Richardson has become one of my most trusted advisors in the past few years. He recently started his own business with a couple of partners, Eka, a venture capital business focused on backing founders who are building sustainable businesses.  We met over the airwaves, and whilst Andrew’s sound isn’t the best, I think you can still hear enough to make it work. We spoke of things like:...

Alex Hersham is a brilliant human, he also happens to be CEO and Founder of Zencargo. We connected a couple of years ago and bonded over people geekery. He’s incredibly self aware and has been meticulous in assembling a business that feels good for the people within it. We met over the airwaves, rather predictably these days haha, but we had a wonderful conversation that covered: 🥞 The highs and...

Melissa Coton is one of those magical humans whose energy dances, even when she is stationary. We met when we were both new yoga teachers, and she took the bold step a couple of years ago to leave her corporate job behind and see where her heart took her.  We met over the airwaves, with her in Guatemala, where she’s just decided to move to from Panama, and me in London:  🥞 Being open to...

I was lucky enough to adopt Justine Borja to the Pen-fold around 3 years ago, when we met by chance at a yoga event in Stockholm, only to learn we were relative neighbours in Notting Hill. Her deep commitment to the evolution of both herself and others is just one of the things that inspires me about her. This time we met online, both in London and in our own versions of the second UK lockdown. We...

Josh Connolly is someone who I only connected with recently, but I have already begun to work with him professionally by inviting him to come and work with the team at Launchpad. Having walked his own path to his own development, he now supports others to do so, by giving phenomenal talks on resilience amongst other things. As a sensitive person, so much of what he talks about resonates with me. W...

Kimba Bush is a creator in every sense. Musician, film maker, designer and also, in arguably his most important role, father. His music and his lyrics resonate, but his spirit and his thoughtfulness resonate on an even deeper level. There are many things I love about him, but his honesty and humbleness are definitely two of them. We met over the airwaves, with both of us in London, as the UK hits...

Sope Agbelusi is an inspiring human being who I actually only connected with this year in the virtual space. I love the fact that he changed everything in his career to explore the path of coaching. I am also inspired by his approach to parenting enables the growth of his children as whole beings. I love that.  We met over the airwaves, with him in Coventry and me in London, and had a fabulou...

Kylie Pearsall might actually win the prize for the most effervescent person ever. I love her thirst for life and the positive way she applies herself to whatever she has in her mind to do at the time. She supports wellbeing in others day to day on offshore oil rigs, and supports the world by showing up with the integrity she does without even realising it, whether pixelated or IRL.  We met o...

Julie Fedele is a fantastically formidable human that arrived in my world around three years ago. I have been watching her step into her fire, more and more each day. Her integrity, effort and consistency inspire me so so much. She is in the product building business, but also invests as well as being a mother.  We met online in the early hours and had the most deliciously connected conversat...

Mandy Nyarko is a relatively new recruit to the Pen-Fold but my goodness she has made a big impression. I was immediately inspired by her courageousness in building the Startup Discovery School whilst juggling that with motherhood, and the focus and determination she has in creating opportunity for others.  We met IRL, YES REALLY haha, not just online, and had a wonderful interlude together w...

Welcome back to Pancakes and Peacocks , and thank you for joining me on this podcast journey. This podcast started when I realised that I had unconsciously built a live with joy at the heart of it, and I felt compelled to inspire others to do the same. Here I share some of my own learnings, whilst also giving you the chance to hear from people who have inspired me along the way.  Joy for me i...

Hasan Khair is founder of Mavericks Unlimited , a brilliantly authentic business helping founders and startups to grow. Hasan inspires me in so many ways, but his open hearted Maverick spirit is undeniable.  We found each other over the airwaves, with him in Brighton, where he lives with his family (love Brighton) and me at home in Notting Hill. We spoke of things like: 🥞 Saying no to say ye...

Gabriela Hersham is one of the biggest hearted human beings that you can find. She applies that operating model to the two big jobs in her like, that of CEO of Huckletree and mother of two fabulous children. From the moment I met her, her loving energy and desire to help create community across multiple levels are just some of the things that inspire me about her.  We met on the airwaves, wit...

Spending time with Jason Touray is a little like warming yourself by the fire. His wisdom, his honesty and his passion are just some of the many things that inspire me. Jason is the Founder of Black Unicorn, a business working to drive the working world forward by reimagining how they operate from a People and Culture standpoint.  We vibed over the airwaves, both in different parts of London,...