Welcome to Lessons for Leaders. Can you believe it’s episode 100? The goal has always been to share lessons, learnings, tips and advice and even when things got tough with it, I’ve enjoyed it more and I’m proud to be able to say I got to 100. Many of my regular listeners will know that my girls are the reason I do what I do and my eldest girl is ab…

This week I'm sharing top tips and conversations that I have frequently with people in organisations to help them know how to persuade leaders to invest in wellbeing. We're covering: What to do to persuade your leaders The 3 R’s that I like to go with organisations I work with. Why we need to look at revenue in different ways and I dive into specif…

This week I'm joined by Gemma Woodward who is People & Culture Manager for Netsells in York. We are talking about leadership and autonomy. Listen in for: What are the benefits of allowing autonomy. How leaders can encourage autonomy in their teams. Where leaders get it wrong with a top down leadership and how it can affect their people and the orga…

What on earth is back to the floor? I start with that and why I'm covering the subject (it was inspired by my wonderful friend and leader Tina. So I'm also covering today: Why is it important to know first hand what’s happening on your shop floor Some real life examples and stories of how back to floor worked, and how it didn’t One really, really i…

This week on the podcast I'm talking about Why it's Worth Investing in Stress Awareness. I wonder if you've ever had a time when you've ever felt stressed and known what would help ... but not bothered to do it???? This is just one of the reason why I'm sharing information that can help you make a decision on whether it's worth investing in stress …

Two years since the UK locked down from the Covid 19 virus. In fact pretty much the world locked down. It changed so many things About how we live How we work Connections & communication Wellbeing – what were thankful for – fear / perspective Resilience Have you looked back at those pictures from cities that were empty and streets that were bare? I…

In honour of International Women's Day, I’m here to give ideas of ways that you can support women in leadership roles. There can be a number of reasons why there are less women than men in leadership roles. Data from the House of Commons found that companies led by women outperform those led by men - but despite this, we're very far from achieving …

This week I'm talking to you about why empathy is crucial for great leaders. I cover : What is empathy Why does it matter in leadership Whether empathy can be learned How it can improve performance, create connections and What you can do to be more empathic. Why empathy is crucial for great leaders and what is empathy anyway? Empathy is the ability…

Do you find it difficult to say no to people? Perhaps it means you end up being busy, stressed, over-committed? Often when we struggle to say no to people it can leave us feeling used, put up-on, juggling too many things. Are you the one who ends up working late because you’ve said yes to others, yet you’re the one with more to do? This episode is …

This week I'm sharing tips and information about De-stigmatizing Mental Health. I share key points on: Why mental health is stigmatized How stigma brings shame and what that looks like How it will impact on your organisation Good news on the wider impact of investing in destigmatizing Key things that you can do and examples too When we prevent peop…

Since this week is Children's Mental Health Week, I'm sharing some of my top tips and experience that I've used with my own children and hope will be helpful for you too. 1 in 6 children and young people have a diagnosable mental health problem, and many more struggle with challenges from bullying to bereavement. 50% of those with lifetime mental h…

When we tell stories there are areas of the brain that light up and create feel good chemicals and reactors in the brain that mean that stories are retained much better than just facts or figures. Listen to the information how it creates different responses and connections in the brain that increases empathy and also increases trust. Any questions …

Paul McGregor joins Emma to talk about Challenging the Stigma of Mental Health. Paul is a Mental Health speaker and founder of Everymind at Work. Listen in where we talk about The key reasons Paul does this work in the mental health space What we mean by a sliding scale of mental health The biggest mistakes organisations make The big thing that hel…

I'm sharing some insider secrets and top tips about the conversations I've been having. Im' sharing some of the trends I've seen and the issues that people tell me they have in their organisations. I also share some of the top requests for wellbeing and the one top tip that I have that includes my free gift to you too! Did you know that 45% of empl…

It might feel like a time to hibernate and stay inside with the damp cold weather, the long January with credit card bills coming from Christmas spends, but I’m here to share some easy and simple ways you can boost your mood. Listen in where I share four key areas that you can focus on that boost different 'feel-good' chemicals of Endorphins - the …

This week I’m sharing my 7 steps to successful planning. Whether this is for you personally or a wellbeing plan, leadership plan or other plan in your organisation listen in for my tips that cover: Reasons to think about why you are creating your plan The importance of breaking the planning down How accountability can be really powerful The secret …

I’m sharing a recap of the top 5 episodes for 2021. These are the podcast episodes that have had the highest listens throughout the year and I though it useful to recap them for you. People are often asking me which I should listen to first, so this will be a helpful way to dive in to the most popular ones and get you started, or enable you to reca…

Not all of us get oodles of holiday time over Christmas. After the couple of years we’ve had it’s important to set boundaries and ensure that you get time for you and time to prioritise and enjoy Christmas in a way that works for you. Regardless of how many days off you have, the Christmas season is a time to switch off, properly. It’s the middle o…

This week I'm joined by Louise Westra and we talk about Why you need to ensure you put you first. How to look out for compassion fatigue and what you can do about it. Why work-life balance is still important but needs to be appropriate for each individual The reasons Louise wrote her book You First Get Louise's Book HERE Please do make sure you hit…

You're not alone right now if you feel frazzled and burned out. I’m hearing from a LOT of people that they’re struggling right now. Some are even contemplating leaving their jobs because of pressure and burn-out. Burnout characterised by “mental, emotional and physical exhaustion” therefore, maintaining work life balance is vital to prevent burnout…

Joanne is a change coach and qualified accountant and we’re talking today about why leaders need a positive mindset. Joanne briefly recaps her career journey and how she recognised that she loved the people stuff but kept going with her original career path of accountancy. When she was running a women’s network she realised she could do this everyd…

Today I’m sharing top tips how to work smarter How to work smarter so that you are able to focus better and get more done without the long hours or pressure Why taking a break is just as productive as working harder Recent discoveries in neuroscience show how we can better manage our brain to improve the quality of our work experience and general s…

Sally Coulden joins me today to shares her key tips for managing change. Sally is founder of Red Dog Glass Design. Sally is currently on her 11th career! We talk about: Why you need to surround yourself with people who are better than you Why you should ask for what you really want. Listen for a way to cope with failure and change Why good communic…

This week as part of Mens Health Month I’m sharing easy ways to get people to talk. Here’s the top ways I share, probably every week, with clients and organisations to help to get people to talk. These are not exclusive for men, but they do work really well for men, women, children, spouse, partner, boss … anyone you like! It’s so important to ensu…

For November stress awareness week I'm sharing simple and easy top tips to overcome work related stress. I'm sharing: Why you need to put a start and end to your day The reason you need to prioritise Why you should not take breathing for granted The important of making sure you get moving The reasons you need to be speaking to people Whatever your …

Nicola is a coach and neuroscience expert who helps leaders to ‘find their fire’ and lead with passion. She joins me to talk about why leading with passion is so important. We discuss: Why passion matters with leaders? What is going to help you be passionate outside of work for those energising energies? Passion is not necessarily all about work Ho…

This week I'm sharing Why Your Support Network is Essential for Wellbeing Why a strong support network will help you through stressful times We break it down to look at professional and social networks What steps you can take to improve your professional network How your social network is also great for boosting your wellbeing Why it’s never too so…

This week I'm in conversation with Jacqui Jagger who is a leadership and mindset coach. She shares the reasons why she’s passionate about supporting newly promoted managers. Why we need to ensure these people do not get their confidence knocked, rather than built up the difference between a people focussed organisation and a performance focussed or…

This week's episode is sharing Mental Health Awareness Tips so that you can: -Identify mental health issues -Understand behaviours and and spot common signs -Know how to converse with employees and understand needs -Have confidence to handle difficult conversations When pressure gets too much, outcomes are not positive – for the employee, their fam…

Tracey Matthews joins me on the podcast to talk about authentic leadership. How it can sometimes be a scary place to be but also the reasons why it’s so valuable to be that authentic leader We share how authenticity can go beyond leadership in to other areas of lives The lessons Tracey has learnt over the years Where to start if you want to be an a…

This week on the podcast I'm sharing about Leadership Compassion and Why it’s important The reasons why it’s not being soft The small things you can do that have a big impact What to know so that you can guard against compassion fatigue too. There’s always going to be differing views about leadership skills, compassion and whether it’s too soft. I’…

Today I’m joined by Tina McDonald who is a workplace trainer for leadership and management apprentices. She talking today about how leadership is not about you. Listen for some fabulous info about how Tina trains our leaders of the future. A great example of influence, empowerment and changing culture What common themes does Tina see with Leadershi…

Common topics / situations and requirements for leadership in post covid world. Common leadership qualities that people are looking for and are needed to support your business and your people Why culture is important and how you might re-look at that How great communication brings people into the fold What you can do to build trust Why burnout is s…

This week I'm talking about leading with empathy. I share with you The reasons why empathy is really important, and now more so than ever before. The benefits for your people and your organisation The one misunderstanding about empathy The three types of empathy and the benefits and pitfalls of each of these. Is it possible to have too much empathy…

This week I share the benefits that can be seen individuals and across an organisation when a coaching culture is embedded. Listen in for: My tips on corridor coaching Explain the coaching continuum and how you can use it easily Some recent trends in coaching in organisations I’m working with too. Leadership coaching is often very well recognised a…

We can often forget to celebrate successes and this can have a negative impact on our teams. Listen in for 4 key areas that are impacted - in a good way - when we celebrate success. There's tips and ideas to help you think about how you can quickly and easily and celebrate successes within your workplace or your team. We often talk about carrot or …

There’s a misunderstanding of what it means to be resilient, and the resulting impact of overworking. I share information and ideas about how you can recharge your resilience levels in different ways and how you can find ways to get little pockets of holiday like moments so that you bounce back from difficulties or exhaustion as quickly as possible…

Self awareness will help you to know what you love to do and what you struggle with. I’m talking more with organisations who have leaders who have risen through the ranks and are great at what they do, but they struggle with leadership skills. That affects their resilience and their confidence. They slip back into doing the doing rather than leadin…

Martin Roberts is a Wellbeing Lead in Lloyds Banking Group and recently set up his own company Keep In Mind. You’re going to love listening to him, I know I do, and we talk about how to get beyond ‘’I’m Fine’’ or ‘’I’m Okay’’. We both share some personal experiences to give you real life approaches that work. Martin’s journey has driven him to sign…

Listen in whilst I share the reasons that listening is so important for leaders. It doesn’t necessarily come naturally to us. I share 👂 The benefits of honing your listening skills 👂 Some information that may help you understand why leaders find listening tough 👂 My 8 top tips to help you improve your listening skills 👂 Including the whacky but rea…

“Wellbeing” is one of the hottest words in business today as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic As we are in World Wellbeing Week – I’ve been talking to individuals and companies who are looking for further support because their plans are not necessarily having the impact they desire Today I’m sharing the key themes I’m hearing from companies that I…

Who do you go to for support? This is so important now, since we've been moving through lockdown and our support networks have been restricted. So this week I'm talking about how to strengthen your support network. When we have people we can talk to and reach out to for support it lessens the load of what we are going through. It also boosts our mo…

When morale is low it’s really difficult to get people involved and motivated and can feel like pushing boulders up hill. So how do you boost morale in your team without is costing a fortune? Listen into the episode where I share about Spotting the signs and circumstances What you can do about low morale An example of a client I worked with Why you…

After the last year of pandemic, lockdowns and firefighting, this is the perfect time for you to revisit your vision. On this podcast episode I explain why you need to revisit your vision and the where it can be helpful for you, your team, your business and your future. When I was delivering a resilience workshop last week there were lots of people…

This week I speak to Kelly Dunn. Kelly is a Scarborough based recruiter and is also one of the top 5 consultants in the UK for permanent recruitment. She is an expert recruiter who sources top talent for temporary, permanent and fixed-term contract roles across many sectors, including: Accountancy and Finance, HR, Office Support, Marketing, IT, Con…

After mental health awareness week last week, I’m talking today about how to keep the focus on mental health going throughout the entire year. Now, if you’re wondering (or even groaning) at the thought of having this on your to-do list all year round, it doesn’t have to be like that. Get employees to know you’re taking MH seriously Easy ways to mak…

This week, I share my interview Scott McLennan. Scott is a Regional Manager at Santander, and has been in that career for 12 years. Scott came on the podcast to share his thoughts on how leaders should be striving for balance, and how leaders should be more willing to show vulnerability in order to show others that they can be open. This episode di…

Enhancing Mental Health Support is hugely important to our psychological and emotional health. With the effects of lockdown we've been missing out on nature and dealing with additional stressful situations in our life. In this podcast I talk about What Mental Health Is. Why do we want good mental health? In a life and work environment it helps peop…

This week I'm sharing my top 6 ways to support someone who is stressed. I’m often asked, how do I get someone to see they’re stressed? What can I do to help them? I’m sharing the reason why other people often notice stress levels before you do. The differences between men and women when they’re stressed 6 key ways to support someone when they are s…

With stress awareness month running through April, I'm talking today about why Stress Awareness in the workplace is still needed. Even though we might think we are all aware of stress, according to the Mental health Foundation 74% of UK adults have felt so stressed at some point over the last year they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope. I’ve been …