Really Useful Conversations: Recent Episodes
Andrea Newton
Managers and leaders need to be able to confidently have 7 Significant Conversations if they are to achieve the desired business outcomes WITH an engaged and motivated team. What are those conversations? How do we have difficult conversations? What about conversations that are challenging, crucial, critical ...
Conversations can change organisations. They can develop relationships, improve standards, increase results - conversations can even save lives.
After 21 years as a freelance Consultant, Andrea Newton shares practical, down to earth advice, learning, tips and techniques to enable you to get comfortable with the uncomfortable and have conversations that matter.
If you have ever had the experience where your mind just will not switch off - perhaps going to bed and you struggle to sleep, maybe you sit down for a rest and your inner voice reminds you of all the things you SHOULD be doing, when relaxation is almost impossible as you just cannot disconnect ... this episode is for you. You are doing all the things that those self-care folks tell you to do - bedtime routine, switching off digital devices, drinking cups of herbal tea but still your mind is racing, over-thinking, so damn busy all of the time and even when you make time to specifically rest and relax, it just doesn't help. As midlife women we are always juggling a lot, in a world that encourages us to keep on keeping on, and a sense of failing if we cannot cope with it all. The cost of that is our stress switch gets stuck and we cannot rest and relax, however much we try - in fact trying harder to rest and relax frustrates us and adds further to our challenge. So how do we fix it? This season we are focussing on Really Useful Conversations for Midlife Women and I hope you are finding it useful? In this episode I refer to a free handout suggesting techniques you can try - it's available to Let me know what you think?
The last few weeks has been hectic - lots of caring responsibilities for ageing parents, work stuff and life in general - so a chance to sneak off and have a few hours in the company of people who are absolute radiators was defintely an attractive proposition and definitely the kick up the bum I needed to talk about focussing forwards!
We all have a little internal book of rules - rules that we have been creating for ourselves since we were first born and my little book will be different to yours. Those rules then guide our lives, our decisions and the people that we choose to be around - these are our values - and although they might change over time, they always matter. If we are operating in a way that is not aligned with these values, we can feel frustrated, angry, annoyed or even sense a little internal tension, perhaps causing anxiety, and for true wellbeing we are best working in places, living with people, spending time doing things where our values are indeed aligned. Like a little internal GPS system that helps point the way and reroute when the path feels wrong for us. Often as midlife women we are so busy with juggling all the stuff that we might not hear our values whispering - perhaps we are doing a job because the hours "fit around the family" or we are putting other people's preferences first - "anything for a quiet life" - or we might even find ourselves in relationships that are just not right for us, but we feel unable to walk away? This week's episode is all about values and why they matter and what can happen to us if we are not listeing to them when they call out to us. Let me know if this episode resonates with you and don't forget to share with anyone else who you think might value from this little reminder?
Having recently been nominated in the Merseyside Women of the Year awards I suddenly found my little inner critic throwing a party - as I read through the bio's of the other women who are also finalists, I could hear that little voice getting louder - "Who are you to be included in that? Look at what she has done! Oh she is amazing! Achieved so much more than you!" and before I knew it, the joy had dissolved into doubt and shame ... who am I indeed? I don't think it is unusual for midlife women to dip into comparing themselves unfavourably and many on the Midlife Reboot programme often talk, with envy, about their social group, colleagues and family who have "done so much better than me" ... so I thought an episode where we have a Really Useful Conversation about the comparison trap would be a good idea! Other people's brilliance does not dim ours, and there is space for us all to shine - but how do I convince that little inner critic to STFU and allow me to enjoy the joy that such a prestigious nomination had brought? In this episode we will talk about the comparison trap, why we fall into it, and more importantly how to get ourselves back out again - comparison cannot be allowed to continuously steal our joy ladies! Oh, and you can vote for me every day until 1st June if you would like to? I'd LOVE your support! Many thanks x
This week in the UK is Mental Health Awareness Week and the theme this year is "Community" and in this episode I am talking specifically about the importance of community for those of us who are midlife women. A chapter in our lives when hormones are shifting, which can indeed negatively impact our mental health, but often also a very busy chapter with lots of juggling of priorities, perhaps older children or grandchildren needing us, or as my world caring for ageing parents has become a new challenge, so it is no surprise that the number of women diagnosed with anxiety, depression and low mood increases during this life stage - and sadly the number of deaths by suicide too. However, I don't think it is ALL about our hormones, and in this episode we talk about what else is shifting and changing and potentially causing us to feel less than great - and how community, amongst other factors, can really help. If you enjoy this episode, please do feel free to share with others who might also benefit, and if you are a midlife woman looking for a Midlife Reboot - ready to ditch the quick fix surface deep solutions and choose to invest your limited time and energy in RADICAL self-care, why not pop your name on the wait list for the next opening? Either way up, hope you enjoy this episode, which is very much dedicated to my Tribe who kept me upright and mobile through the divorce that kept on giving! A x
Back in February I hosted "Actually, she can!" - which was a fantastic day of personal growth and professional development, by women, for women, fundraising for future female talent in Halton Borough and it was an absolutely amazing day! With over 200 women in the audience and 12 professional speakers, authors and coaches taking to the stage and hosting workshops, sharing insights and expertise that had the audience scribbling notes furiously and nodding as they recognised their own traits, laughing as we talked about the humourous side of habits and cheering as we announced the incredible amount we raised that day for young girls locally. But I feel there was a missing thread. Whilst encouraging women to set goals with soul, to overcome imposter syndrome, to smash their own ceiling, release their inner rebel through good girl deconditioning, we also needed to let them know to take care of their wellbeing too. Not from a candles and sandals perspective, but deep down radical self-care, the stuff that leads to meaningful change. Tune into this episode to find out more about those Missing Threads and learn about the Midlife Reboot on offer!
Our final guest speaker interview is with the wonderful Rachel Foord and at the Actually, she can! event on 27th February, Rachel will be hosting a workshop entitled "Thriving Beyond Barriers; what empowers and challenges neurodivergent women" - and it is sure to be a very popular session. Whether you are attending Actually! as a neurodivergent woman yourself, or as a mother, sister, manager or HR leader, Rachel will be sharing so much value and insights from her own lived as well as learned experiences. Listen in to this week's episode and get to hear from Rachel about this important topic and why you might choose to join her workshop from the ones on offer in February, she really does have such a lot to offer for both professional and personal lives. Tickets are still available from actuallyshecan.co.uk - but hurry, we are closing soon!
Before Christmas I really enjoyed chatting to another one of our guest speakers, Valerie J Ritchie, who is hosting a workshop for us at Actually, she can! in February to help people harness their inner strengths and turn challenges into opportunities. Valerie is a midlife empowerment coach, an advocate for the crone goddess, and helps women to step into the wise, powerful, authentic self so that they can live life to the full. In our conversation she talks about us embracing who we are, playing to our natural strengths, and encourages us to be authentic - You do You - and to not take our strengths for granted and just brush them off but to utilise them to their fullest and make the most of them. Valerie's workshop at Actually! next month will be highly interactive, helping us to explore practical strategies to overcome both personal and professional challenges with resilience and confidence and create an actionable plan that we can take away to use in our day to day lives. Maybe you are questionning your own worth, maybe you are not sure where your strengths lie, or perhaps you are ready to step out of your comfort zone - Valerie's session will be perfect for you! If you have not already got your ticket for Actually! it's time to get your act together or you are really going to regret it! We have 13 fabulous professional speakers, authors and coaches coming together to offer a real personal development day for women, by women, and it's going to be a cracker! More details about all our speakers and tickets are available at so take a moment to enjoy my conversation here with Valerie and then go grab your ticket QUICK!
Meeting up with someone that you instantly have a connection with and knowing they share your values in wanting to make a positive difference is not something that happens every day and so when Michelle Atkinson, HRD from Suttons International and I chatted about Actually, she can! and the difference we want to make in our local community, I could see she was as enthused and keen to make that difference too! We are very grateful indeed to Suttons for agreeing to be our main event sponsor for Actually, she can! and even MORE impressed by their attitude and desire for positive change, when they asked us to introduce them to people in Halton Borough where they really can make a difference. Since that meeting they have supported local children who otherwise would have woken up to no presents on Christmas Day and are engaging with Halton People into Jobs to see how as an employer in the Borough, they can offer work experience, apprenticeships, mentoring and even career opportunities to young people. We could not be happier to have found a large corporate business to partner with, working locally as part of a huge global network, and in this episode you will get to hear what is was about the project that captured Michelle's attention and why it fits so beautifully with the culture and ethos of this business that prides itself on supporting employee growth, driving engagement and creating opportunties for career progression. Thank you to everyone at Suttons for supporting us and for wanting to make a difference too - we really appreciate you!
Ex corporate girl Susie Sprigg believes that connection, communication and conversation are critical to all of us, and that we can build relationships with cheerleaders and people who will check in on us too, all through the power of networking. Networking is not just for people who run a business looking to sell their services to others, but also for people who work within an organisation who might need to build their network for career progression and promotion prospects. Building a strong network, especially as a woman, is so important and Susie is going to share with us the do's and do not's of networking in the workshop she is running at Actually, she can! on 27th February in Runcorn. Debunking the myths of networking and making sure we create the impression we want to is what her workshop is all about and if you listen in to this episode you will get a sense of Susie's down to earth, honest and authentic approach, allowing you to decide whether you will choose her workhshop from the range that are being offered as part of our amazing event. If you have not got your ticket yet, please hurry as we have sold more than 65% and I would hate you to miss out! For more details about all of our speakers and what to expect please take a look at our simple website actuallyshecan.co.uk - the link to then buy tickets is available from there too.
A favourite guest on the podcast Michelle Minnikin joins me again this week but to talk this time about her contribution at Actually, she can! There is no way we could have organised a day of personal growth and professional development for women, by women without including the powerhouse that is Ms Minnikin! A professional speaker, author of the fabulous "Good Girl Deprogramming" and workshop facilitator, Michelle helps women to break free from the constraints of the conditioning that girls grow up with and encourages them to unleash the rebel within, and I am delighted that she agreed to travel to Runcorn for our event on 27th February where she will address the conference AND run a workshop for those who want a deeper understanding of the work we good girls need to now do in order to live an authentic, rebelloious life! Have a listen to our conversation and then make sure you have booked your ticket to be in the room with us in February - it is going to be an amazing day with Michelle offering her expertise along with another 12 speakers sharing insights and inspiration. Tickets are availble while they last from actuallyshecan.co.uk and you need to RUN don't walk and grab yours NOW!
Kerry Lockyer joins me this week to talk about her contribution to Actually, she can! on 27th February in Runcorn and it is a really useful conversation well worth listening to! I managed to catch up with her before Christmas when she was busy running around the country facilitating sessions to help leaders build awesome teams. Her expertise lies in helping people understand themselves AND each other at a much deeper level using a range of behavioural tools, with over 25 years experience in Learning & Development, she is an accomplished trainer, consultant and coach as well as an amazing TEDx Speaker. People development is the stuff that lights her fire and at Actually, she can! she will be offering everyone an incredible opportunity for greater self-awareness AND a chance to complete one of the behavioural tools that she uses in her consultancy practice. Thanks to the generous folk at Clarity 4D, everyone who attends will have chance to complete a personal profile, completely free of charge, and Kerry will be delivering two sessions that will bring that learning to life both on the main stage and in a smaller, more intimate workshop setting. This value alone more than covers the cost of the ticket to attend so we do hope you will support our charity fundraising efforts by coming along to hear more from Kerry, to do your own Clarity 4D profile, and to generally invest in your own personal effectiveness to kickstart 2025. Tickets are available from actuallyshecan.co.uk for general admission as well as the Pay it Forward tickets we are offering to make the event as inclusive as possible. Please invite everyone you know to get involved! Great event for a great cause!
Another excellent reason to attend Actually, she can! next February 27th is to hear Jane Kenyon's session as she helps us to understand why it is time to ditch the cape and badge and forget the notion of Superwoman! Jane will help us see how the male energy driven Superwoman model sabotages our right to an imperfect life, and how until we drop the cape and rip off the Little Miss Perfect badge we cannot be whole, authentic or lead from our feminine core. Jane will help us see how controlling everything does not give us power BUT will give us a blinding headache! Are you ready to learn more about a system reset?! Ex Well-Healed Diva Jane has worked with women and teenage girls for the last three decades and you might be familiar with her organisation "Girls Out Loud" which is a multi-award winning social enterprise dedicated to raising the aspirations of teenage girls in the UK. Their programmes are all about embedding more confidence, emotional resilience, self-assurance and self-esteem - so you can see why their work aligns beautifully with our ambitions for Actually, she can! Listen in to this episode and learn more about Jane, her beliefs and her approach, and you'll immediately recognise why you need to grab a ticket for our event and not only invest in your own personal growth and professional development BUT ALSO how your involvement will help us to offer bursary opportunities to young girls in Halton Borough as part of the Mayor's Fundraiser. It is a real win win opportunity - a chance to invest in yourself and at the same time allow young girls to get a stronger foothold on the career ladder - what's not to love? Tickets are on sale NOW and you can book online via actuallyshecan.co.uk
I am joined on this episode by the most wonderful person that is Helen Frewin of Totem Consulting. Helen is one of the most generous people I have had the good fortune to meet in the business world and am delighted that she is going to be sharing her expertise freely by delivering a session with us at Actually she can! on 27th February. Helen is a Business Psychologist, Executive Coach, Professional Speaker and Author of the book "Better than confidence" and with the team at Totem Consulting works with organisations to help them have their people performing at their best, positively engaged with their work and delivering high standards, through coaching, training and facilitating at all levels. Helen's session at our fundraising event will be a very popular one, I am sure, and if you have not yet got your ticket, tune in and hear why you need to RUN DON'T WALK and get your ticket today! Helen's session at Actually! is entitled "Why everyone wins with more women in leadership and how we can get there. Get powered up with a reminder of the business case for having women at the top, and a challenge and guide for all genders to make this possible." Definitely going to be a popular one and this session alone is probably worth the ticket price for the whole day! We have 13 professional speakers, authors and coaches giving their time and talent for free so that we can create bursary opportunities for young girls in Halton Borough and YOU could be a part of that! Whether you want to attend the event in person OR sponsor a place for a women who could not otherwise afford to be there, hurry along to the actuallyshecan.co.uk website now.
If you are curious to hear about "Actually, she can!" and to know exactly what is on the agenda that day, then this brief, basic and straightforward episode is for you! No music, no guests, nothing more than a simple description of the topics being covered and the value on offer - it'll take about 8 minutes but will give you a taste of what the whole event is all about and help you decide how many tickets you need to buy! Tickets are selling well and can be purchased online or if you need an invoice then just drop me a note and I can organise that for you. Whatever you do, do NOT miss out on this opportunity! It's a total one-off, never to be repeated event offering more value than you can imagine! Promise!
What can we learn from a woman who took a wrong turn and had a bloke pull a gun on her, but eventually sorted and paid for a taxi to take her back to her hotel? Well, she might be a black belt in 4 Martial Arts, but she only ever went because her mate did, and she still cannot catch a bullet in her teeth - even though both her sons are stuntmen in the movies! This can only be the wonderful (and hilarious!) Heather Wright, talking to me about the session she will be running for us at "Actually, she can!" next February in Cheshire. Heather is a seasoned expert in neuropsychology and will help us delve into the science behind self-discovery to unblock our true potential. She promises and enlightening and inspiring speech where we can learn strategies to overcome the barriers to confidence and authenticity and build the "us" that we really want to be. At "Actually, she can!" Heather will be bringing the day to a close with valuable insights that blend science with personal empowerment and set us up to use the learning to break habits that no longer serve us and help us develop new habits that will help us to be the version of ourselves that we want to be. It promises to be a powerful conclusion to an amazing day, and if you haven't got your ticket yet, you really need to get a wiggle on before they sell out! ActuallySheCan.co.uk is a great place to check out the whole line up and follow the link to get your tickets but please, run don't walk! Time is ticking!
Actually, she can! is all about encouraging and inspiring women to do, be and achieve whatever their heart so desires, but is it realistic to expect happiness every day in that life? This week's guest Jo Howarth says that indeed it is possible to make that choice, and in our conversation she explains more about what she means by that. Jo is another of the amazing speakers, authors and coaches that is giving her time and expertise free of charge on 27th February to help raise funds for young women in Halton who might need a hand overcoming financial challenges into higher education or vocational apprenticeships, and I hope that when you listen to this episode that gives you another really good reason to be rushing off to buy your ticket! Did you know, if you cannot attend the event to support us, you can still PAY IT FORWARD by sponsoring a ticket for a woman who otherwise could not afford to be there? The day really is a win win win win win at every level! By women, for women, fundraising for future female talent and Jo Howarth and her "Choosing Happiness Every Day" session might be just the inspiration you need to achieve fabulous things, and authentic happiness, going forward. Please do share the episode and help us spread the word and pop along to actuallyshecan.co.uk to grab your ticket before they sell out. But for now, sit back and enjoy our conversation! Thanks Jo!
Kate Trafford is a Master Coach, author and TEDx speaker and am delighted to say is our opening speaker at Actually, she can! next February. With over 20 years of experience helping people drive for big results AND love the journey, Kate will be encouraging us to take a moment to pause and consider the road ahead, asking us some powerful questions and helping us think about our own authentic happiness and success. Her highly acclaimed book "Get there, love here" can help you become the person you want to be, with the career you want to have, whilst staying true to yourself and Kate will bring that magic to the Actually, she can! line up next year. If you haven't yet got your ticket, hurry up and grab it before we sell out - Kate's session and workshop could be just the opportunity you need to set your sights on your future and make 2025 the year you start to enjoy rather than endure the journey! Tickets and details of all our speakers can be found at - run!
This week I am chatting to another one of the "Actually, she can!" line up - the wonderful Soulful Stylist Kate Harrison who will be running a workshop on the 27th February "Styling for confidence - inside and out". Kate started her career in the fashion industry, later moving into image consultancy and co-founded the first UK High Street Advice Studio, welcomging thousands of women over the years for personal styling and corporate events, and realised just how much the colours we wear and surround ourselves with affects our energy, and indeed also our confidence. Kate has a wealth of experience in this arena and chats to me in this podcast episode about her background and the value that she is brining to the Actually, she can! agenda. Honestly, you will be spoilt for choice in the workshops that we have on offer - personally I want to attend them ALL! Actually, she can! takes place next February 27th in Runcorn, Cheshire and offers an inspirational day of personal growth and professional development by women, for women, fundraising for future female talent and we have already sold over half of the tickets with 3 months still to go - don't miss out! Tickets are available from the actuallyshecan.co.uk website or if you are an organisation wanting your own table, drop me a note and I can arrange that for you! But for now, sit back, listen and enjoy as Kate and I chat about the fantastic opportunity she is offering to those who are attending - it's a fabulous listen!
Barbara Nixon is one of the 13 professional speakers, authors and coaches who are giving their time and talent and expertise to help me raise funds for young women in Halton Borough, and in this episode we chat about the insights and opportunity for growth and development that Barbara will be bringing to the day. This woman is an absolute gem and has so much value to offer an audience, honestly, just her contribution to the line up is worth the ticket price alone! If imposter syndrome is something that catches you out on occasions, or you have a terrible habit of getting in your own way with over-thinking or self-doubt, then Barbara is defintely someone you should come and here from. She will be speaking from stage in the morning and in the afternoon running a more intimate, participative workshop too - 27th February 2025 at The Heath Conference Centre in Runcorn with ALL proceeds from the day being ring fenced to help young female talent in Halton Borough to get a foot on the career ladder and pursue their aspirations. Hope you enjoy our chat and to find out more visit the ActuallySheCan.co.uk website.
And in this episode we will talk a little more about the Actually, she can! project - where the idea came from, who it will help and why it matters. It's a unique opportunity for women, by women, supporting future female talent and you really do not want to miss out if you can help it. If you are a supporter of equality of opportunity, promote and champion equity at work and are keen to see women given the opportunities for development and growth as professionals in the workplace, then this project really is for you! Please do share and help me get the word out there and together we can make incredible things happen!
Having had a break away for a few months, I want to update you on what I have been up to and where we are going with this next season of the podcast. If championing equality is your thing, and you are keen to support female talent in the workplace, then please tune in and I'll share a little more with you about a fantastic opportunity that is coming up for women, by women - which in turn is a fundraiser for future female talent in a deprived UK Borough.
This is my final guest interview wrapping up Season 3, and I’d encourage you to listen in as I chat with Tim Roberts, a Leadership Coach who takes a no BS approach! Author of ‘Break the Mould’ about which Tim says ‘it’s worth reading if you want to be a better leader or role model in the workplace’ and in our conversation we explore the often quoted ‘authentic leadership’ phrase - and dig into what it takes to be both true to yourself AND be an effective leader to others. We hope you’ll enjoy listening to our ‘Really Useful Conversation’ and if you want to know more about Tim, you’ll find his website a great place to start! Thanks for tuning in and please do share with colleagues who might also benefit.
Barbara Nixon is THE Success and Leadership Coach for ambitious Business Leaders. With a strong background in the commercial world, where she designed hundreds of senior leadership development programmes and was responsible for the Management Development for all 3000 Managers. She worked for all areas of the business which has given her the broad commercial knowledge that helps her to help her clients today. Whether a newly promoted manager trying to find their feet, an established manager with a sudden realisation of imposter syndrome, or a business owner who is keen to get out of the weeds, side step self doubt & elevate, Barbara is the person to talk to! As a Business Leader it's easy to think you should always feel in control, be super confident, and have all the answers - but this often is not the case and with 27 years experience, Barbara really is a secret weapon to have in your toolkit! She is also one of the incredible speakers at the Actually, she can! conference, a unique opportunity for women in business to embrace a day of personal development and inspiration, so watch this space for more info! But for now, settle in to hear what Barbara has to say that might help you be the confident leader you really want to be - and find out more about her at
If you are a manager or leader, self-awareness and the impact that you have is critical to success. So if I asked you the question "Does the room light up when you enter or when you leave?" - what would YOU say and more importantly, what would your PEOPLE say? As a manager or leader your style and behaviour is the single biggest influence on the performance of your team and can affect levels of motivation, engagement, performance, attendance even staff retention (or not!) So much of what YOU do and how YOU behave will impact that – positively or negatively. This brisk and pacy episode is an opportunity for that all important mirror-moment amongst the busy-ness of business to give you chance to consider “Am I doing all the right things?” and consider whether your intentions are delivering the impact and outcome you desire, or whether there are things that you might choose to do differently. I hope you will find it useful as a reflection and to increase self-awareness, it might even inspire a conversation with your team where you ask them for some feedback too!"
ACAS received over 200,000 enquiries about workplace bullying incidents in just one year. Many people worry about what to do, how to handle it, what their rights are and how to deal with it if the issue is from a manager or someone in authority. I know from my 30+ years of experience in industry that this is an issue organisations want to deal with quickly - no employer would want anyone in their organisation to be having a negative experience of this nature, but sometimes the line between banter and bullying gets very thin, and sometimes what started "as a joke" can turn into unwanted behaviour or comments. Workplace bullying is an example of a psychosocial hazard that we all need to be aware of and working to eliminate, and this episode is intended to offer sound advice to anyone who feels they are being bullied, as well as a reminder to employers of their duty of care not just for physical health and safety but also for protection of mental, emotional and psychological health and safety in the workplace. This episode follows on from my recent interview with Katie Skelton and I hope you will find it helpful.
What would you do if someone shouted you down in a meeting in front of colleagues? And then followed you out of the meeting room and leaned into your face? And what if a bunch of senior managers witnessed it and allowed it as "it us just who he is"? Sadly people often get away with bad behaviour, behaviour that is bullying and not acceptable, because they have technical expertise or knowledge that the business needs, so their bad behaviour is ignored or accepted. In today's podcast I get to speak to Katie Skelton from about her experience of workplace bullying and explore how psychosocial safety is critical in organisations who want to get the best out of people. ACAS report that in one year they had over 200,000 calls to their helplines about workplace bullying and together Katie and I chat about this sensitive subject and the issues it can cause. I will also be releasing a follow up episode to this to help employers who are committed to tackling bullying in the workplace, and with advice for employees who might be experiencing it. Bullying doesn't just happen top down, but also bottom up, and we will be exploring examples of that too. I hope you will find this episode helpful in bringing this subject to the table where we can explore it and importantly take steps to tackle it in your own organisation, if it is indeed lurking somewhere within.
If you are looking for ways in which to make sure your business has long-term sustainable success and you recognise the importance of a diverse and inclusive workplace that allows your people to flourish and thrive, then you will want to tune into this week’s podcast. My conversation with Toby Mildon, Diversity and Inclusion Architect, and author of “Inclusive Growth” is all about how he helps his clients to strategically align diversity and inclusion to organisational growth, change the culture and motivate senior leaders to ‘walk the talk’ for inclusivity, He helps clients to design and implement a sustainable inclusivity infrastructure so that it is not just a HR responsibility, and in our conversation we explore why this matters and the first steps to get you moving in the right direction. You can find out more about Toby and the work that he does around this important topic at and his book “Inclusive Growth” is available from all good book sellers! I hope you will enjoy our conversation and that you will also consider joining me on 22nd May to “Mind the Gap – the difference between Intention and Impact” – full details at Hope to see you there!
Are you looking for a way to increase self-awareness, develop your leaders, improve your sales or simply develop a high performing team? I may have the answer for you! In this week’s Really Useful Conversations podcast I get to chat with the wonderful award winning, professional speaker, Learning and Development professional, and all round good egg that is Kerry Lockyer. Kerry is a Licensed Insights Practitioner and accredited Clarity4D Business Partner and uses these powerful behavioural profiling tools to transform personal development and team effectiveness. With a strong background in the corporate world, she founded Oomph Learning and Development Ltd in 2019, - and their mission is to provide engaging and innovative learning solutions that truly add value and deliver real results.....and she’s here today to talk to us specifically about how we might recognise others preferences and adapt our style in order to get the best out of any situation – a fantastic mirror moment opportunity for us all! Don’t forget the Reflect & Reset opportunity too on 22nd May at 1pm where managers and leaders can take time out from the busy-ness of business and consider their intention versus the impact they are actually having! Full details on
As a leader or manager you have the power to make such a difference to your team, their experience of the workplace, and the outcomes they achieve. Just in the way that you behave around them, the style of leadership that you choose and use, and the impact that you have. However, sometimes the effect we INTEND is not always the experience that people are having, and every now and then we have to stop and ask ourselves the question – is there a gap between my intention and my impact? You probably have an organisation where a fair number of managers intend doing a great job – in fact, the majority will believe that they are and I have met many over the last 30 years in business who genuinely think they are doing a FABULOUS job, but they don’t hear what people say about them when they are not in the room, how they talk about them behind their back, what they say when they go home at night and are asked “How was your day?” In this episode I am offering some essential steps for all leaders to better assess the gap between intention and impact, and encouraging a mirror moment to step away from the wheel and focus on being the best leader you can be. Does the room light up when you enter or when you leave? And says who?
In this week's episode I thought it felt like a good time to talk about the power of human connection, there is so much going on in the world at the moment and in organisations that it feels like a good time to remind ourselves about the difference positive relationships and strong human connection can make. We will take a close look at why in the busy-ness of business it matters so much – surely people should just rock up and do the job they are being paid to do, right? Why do we need to connect with them as human beings? What difference does it make? What is it about "human first" that makes the BIG difference? And when we talk about connection, what are we actually talking about? I will also share a few quick and easy ways in which leaders can build connection into their day to day role and responsibilities - sometimes it is just a question of how we view an interaction and how our mindset might make it more productive. Grab a brew, pull up a pew and tune in!
You may have seen the noise that the recent headlines created, when the European Human Rights Commission confirmed that under the Equality Act (s.6) that menopause symptoms COULD be classed as a disability. In this week's episode I am going to talk through that noise and explain in really straightforward terms what this means, and what you as a business need to be doing about it. Whether you are a Line Manager, HR Manager, Healthy & Safety Manager or indeed a business owner, this news article does NOT change anything - and no, women are NOT disabled because they are menopausal, and NO we are not entitled to a blue badge and NO it is not every woman! If you are a manager keen to get it right, to understand what matters in the workplace and what your duty of care actually is, then go to my website here and check out this fabulous resource:- If you are curious to understand what all the noise was about, tune into this week's tongue in cheek episode where I will bust a few myths for you. You'll thank me for it ;-) is definitely worth a look if you want really useful resources that are written and created in a very straight forward, no nonsense way.
In this week's episode I get to chat with Alison Colley, an experienced Solicitor and HR specialist, who is passionate about supporting organisations and individuals with any work problems, and giving clear and unstuffy legal advice. This week we talk about the term reasonable adjustments, and ask when is reasonable actually reasonable enough? Following a recent UK EAT Tribunal Case where the panel suggested an employer dealing with a menopause issue had not acted in a way it considered reasonable, despite adjustments having been made. This takes us on to the wider conversation about situations such as this, and with Alison's advice we cover off some interesting points from a HR and Employment Law perspective. We also recognise the importance of our managers and leaders being trained in more than just following a policy, recognising that they may have to have some quite challenging conversations from time to time. Definitely an episode to tune into!
You understand the importance of really useful conversations at work. You recognise the impact it has on employee engagement, retention and motivation, as well as forming part of your duty of care as am employer. You understand that conversations of this nature if not done well can have legal, financial and moral implications but how do you get others to buy in too? Whether you are addressing the proactive change to Equality Act 2010 or seeking to implement ISO 45003, you may need to get buy in from others - but how? In this episode we talk exactly about that. Often HR leaders are asked to provide development opportunities but cheaper, in a shorter time scale, without any operational disruption - so whether it is psychosocial safety, organisational resilience, an update in employment law, how do you get your leaders and managers onside? Time to talk - but they need to be prepared to listen!
As UK sickness absence rates are reported to be at a 10 year high and poor mental health being the second biggest reason for workplace absence, it's important that organisations take a more strategic approach to protecting the mental health of their employees. Simply signing up to wellbeing initiatives and appointing mental health first aiders is not the end of it - in fact the Society for Occupational Medicine says there is poor evidence to support that as a solution. So what exactly does need to be happening? How do we make sure we are doing all we can to prevent work-related stress and make sure that the work, workplace or work colleagues are not making matters worse for anyone? In this straight to the point episode we explore the HSE Management Standards and learn more about out duty of care to be proactive and preventative, and stop wasting time, money and effort on flashy firework displays that just don't cut the mustard.
In the most recent CIPD report it shares that sickness absence levels in the UK are currently at a 10 year high, and this is despite the number of organisations who now have appointed Wellbeing Managers and subscribe to various initiatives. Surely if all the employers who talk about the importance of wellbeing are doing these things, consistently and well, we should be seeing sickness absence figures drop? In this week's podcast episode I am exploring why this might indeed be the case and what businesses might need to have on their agenda for 2024 if they want to get, grow and retain staff, and have them rock up regularly, healthy and well, to do their job. Oh and by the way, Happy New Year!
The plane crashed into the 14th Street Bridge, killing 78 people. If only the flight crew had been communicating better. Flight AF90 never made it to it's destination on 13th January 1982, and the need for better equipment when dealing with disasters underground meant the rescues from the July 7th bombings in London were hampered. Communication is simply giving information, direction or guidance - one way and in organisations typically top down - but how about if we created a place where the conversations were two-way, where people were heard, where action was taken, where listening to understand and acting appropriately were every day behaviours? Your job might not be to pilot a plane, to rescue from a tragic incident - but how much are you missing out on or losing by failing to engage with people in meaningful, worthwhile, two- way dialogue? Maybe your sickness absence would decrease, your retention increase, your results improve? Tune in to this week's episode, the last one for 2023 and perhaps use the coming weeks to reflect and consider what it might be like for you and your people if conversations were encouraged at every single level in your business.
This week I get to chat with the woman on a mission to rid the world of rubbish managers - and with the launch of her new book, Jo Wright is passionate about the importance of transformational coaching conversations in organisations as the way forward. Speaker, author, coach and all round fab person with a framework to offer any business who is committed to creating a culture where people and performance thrive, her skill in organisational coaching is definitely worth a look. Find out more about Jo and her book here
Movember is an annual global campaign that encourages men to grow those mustaches and participate in various activities to raise awareness about men’s health issues. This has included addressing issues such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health challenges, and suicide prevention and is intended as a platform for men to discuss their health openly, seek support, and take proactive steps towards a healthier and happier life. But why do we need to be encouraging this? Why are men often reluctant to access medical help? What do we need to do to change that? What are the Really Useful Conversations that should be happening that are not? Join me for this week's podcast episode to explore this problem further.
Certified coach Dr Jo Baldwin is on a mission to help women aged 40-plus bring oomph and sparkle back into their lives. Jo empowers women who have lost their ‘mojo’ to rediscover it and reach their full potential. Her own lived experience of both perimenopause and empty nest syndrome, combined with a 10-year career in obs and gynae medicine, inform her compassionate and holistic coaching style. In her transformative coaching programmes Jo uses The Women's PowerTypes and is best known for helping self-styled ‘Superwomen’ recover from burnout and to manage their energy levels more sustainably by harnessing the innate energies of the five women’s PowerTypes™ She helps women to be the very best version of themselves and you can have a go at the PowerTypes quiz by clicking here: -
It's all very well and good to encourage Really Useful Conversations about all manner of topics in the workplace but if we don't have the right culture, then people will not feel comfortable to have conversations at all. Organisational climate needs to feel safe, positive and inclusive, and as a leader, you can make a massive difference. In this solo episode I'm going to share some specific points for leaders to be aware of if they are going to create a climate where Really Useful Conversations are more likely.
For Stress Awareness Day who better to talk to than the Founder of The Happiness Club, the marvellous Jo Howarth. Jo is an advanced hypnotherapist and mindfulness practitioner who helps people look after their mental and emotional health on a daily basis. She works in person with schools, organisations and individuals and offers an online resource that supports your mental wellbeing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, so if you are feeling down or stressed or anxious OR you just want to feel better, The Happiness Club is definitely a place to head for. Jo is also a guest speaker at the Online Pyjama Party this week, to help celebrate the launch of my book "Could it be your hormones love?" so another opportunity to hear more from her then too or find out more at
It is said that 62% of divorces are instigated by menopausal women, and 73% of women blamed the breakdown of their relationship on their menopausal symptoms. That’s one reason why my new book “Could it be your hormones love? And other questions not to ask a menopausal woman” is an absolute essential for all MEN who need to better understand what is happening during the perimenopause years! However if you are a menopausal woman, with a divorce or separation adding to your stress levels, it can be so difficult to get the support you might need and this week's guest is someone you may want to get to know. Sarah Woodward is a multi-award winning divorce coach, supporting her clients with the emotional and practical challenges of their breakup so that they can Recover, Rebuild and Reclaim a future they're excited to wake up to where they feel happier and stronger than ever before. It is her mission to empower her clients to believe that there is life after divorce and to embrace this next chapter. She is also a Certified Positive Psychology Coach and Narcissism Trained™️ Coach with additional training to support clients who are in abusive relationships. Hope you find it useful.
As we approach Menopause Awareness Day here in the UK, it is ironic to note THREE recent employment tribunal cases with menopause symptoms at the root. The cost of NOT training managers is obvious, and not only is the compensation and legal costs significant, but also the potential damage to your reputation as a business and an employer. In this week's episode I share details of these cases, along with a very useful and simple list of things that organisations need to be doing to protect their reputation, support and signpost employees and help managers to be the very best they can be. There is also an invitation to a pyjama party in their too and details of a new book launch that every MAN needs to buy!
It can come as a surprise for many previously confident midlife, menopausal women to find themselves doubting, questioning, over-thinking and even shrinking into the shadows. Perhaps body image isn’t as good as it once was, self talk feels more negative, looking in the mirror leaves us feeling disappointed or even finding clothes no longer fit nor flatter! Siân Fisher is on a mission to help women feel truly confident about themselves inside and out. As a confidence coach and personal stylist Siân knows that when you feel confident you can achieve anything, and your brilliance shines out like the star you are. Listen in to our conversation and get ready to shine bright once more!
This month is both World Mental Health Day and Menopause Awareness Month so the perfect time for me to share with you a really useful conversation about a time when both of these issues collided and had me looking for a way out, permanently. I made a promise to the Universe that if I survived, I would use my experience to help others navigate the abyss that I had peered into, and so the work that I do now focuses particularly on menopause, mental health and the increased suicide risk at this time. In this episode I will share a little more about my story and also share with you some exciting news about getting other people involved in conversations about this, so that together we can make sure our women get the help they need - whether you are a manager, mate, partner or husband - this episode is useful for YOU too!
Are you a Good Girl? Are you happy being a Good Girl, if so? This week I am chatting with the always wonderful Michelle Minnikin who specialises in empowering her clients to embrace their power and personal agency. With over 20 years of experience as an Organisational Psychologist, her coaching approach blends positive psychology, personal development, and her own journey with ADHD, fostering self-acceptance and empowering clients to break free from societal expectations. Through her upcoming book, "Good Girl Deprogramming," she aims to inspire women to ignite their own rebellions and create a world that embraces authenticity and empowerment for everyone. Settle down and tune in!
Talking today to Sara Hope, whose passion for conversations is as strong as mine, and over the years she has helped leaders to gain clarity, awareness of self, and overcome challenges. She has worked with thousands of leaders across multiple organisations to bring more candour and a human touch to their interactions, be it with clients, customers, colleagues, or their teams. She passionately believes in the importance of growing conversational muscle, as it strengthens employee engagement, reduces time spent on projects, and reinforces connectivity; something we all crave. She is an ideal guest for a Really Useful Conversation and I do hope you will enjoy listening in. You can find out more about her and the work she does at Guest information Website: Email:
European research tells us that women of the perimenopausal age are as much as 7 times more likely to have thoughts of suicide than women pre or post menopause. Why is this? In this episode I explain why the fluctuation in hormones during this period of our lives can impact both our mental health and brain health, and how those two factors can lead on to an increase in diagnosis of anxiety, depression and other mental health disorders, as well as the difference between clinical depression and hormonal depression that is currently being investigated in research in the UK. It is important that we are aware that menopause is not all about hot flushes and night sweats and that we are informed and aware of the other impacts that declining hormones can have. Please do share this episode and help me get the word out to as many people as possible? Conversations can change and save lives.
Conversations can change and even save lives. They can inspire, enthuse, educate and motivate and as we launch Season 3, I hope you’ll find a golden nugget within each episode. Whether Confident Conversations or Crucial Conversations or simply a Caring Conversation, they can make or break relationships, improve standards, increase performance and instigate change. What really useful conversations do you need to be having?
What is it they say about the best laid plans of mice and men? Unless it is the Three Blind Mice or the Three Wise Men and I have missed a chapter, it is something to do with however carefully you plan, things can still go wrong, right? And things did, which led me to being AWOL - so no talk of conversations of any kind, useful or otherwise! Give me just 5 minutes of your time and let me explain ....
Mental Health Awareness Week this year is focussing on the theme of anxiety - especially relevant at the moment as the UK population is currently said to be experiencing widespread levels of stress, anxiety and hopelessness in response to financial concerns, according to a new survey commissioned by the Mental Health Foundation. Mental Health Awareness Week runs from 15th to 21st May and various initiatives and campaigns will help us understand that although anxiety is a very natural and normal human emotion, if it becomes prolonged or chronis, or happens very frequently, it can start to seriously impact on our quality of life. In fact here in the UK anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems we can face and in a recent survey a quarter of adults said they felt so anxious that it stopped them from doing the things they want to do some or all of the time, with 60% agreeing that anxiety was an issue for them at least some of the time. Anxiety can be caused by external circumstances such as the cost of living crisis, but can also be caused by an internal shift in the all important hormone balance and in this week's episode I explore both causes and offer some possible solutions.
If you are a leader responsible for managing a team, and you are keen to do a good job of that, then this week's episode will be useful for you and offer a fantastic mirror moment to consider your own leadership style too. Using the recent news reports of Dominic Raab, our now ex deputy Prime Minister, we can see how one person's perception is definitely not the other person's experience. Mr Raab says he was simply encouraging high standards and being clear with his communication style, whilst a member of the team describes him as "100% a bully" and "He genuinely thinks he is just being a tough taskmaster, but doesn't get that this behaviour is not acceptable in the modern workplace". Was he being a bully or did the team simply not appreciate constructive criticism and being held accountable? Was his intention to simply raise the bar and motivate, yet their experience was "you can have high expectations and not be a bully" What you do and the way that you do it, combined, is what gets results, right? Tune in and take a moment to reflect and consider, what you intend, is that what people are experiencing and are YOU choosing and using the right leadership style to get the job done whilst maintaining effective relationships? Ay there's the Raab!
This year the Stress Management Society are asking us to step beyond simple awareness and take deliberate action to change things. They have been using #ACT to encourage people to act - reminding us that awareness only goes so far and ACTION is where it is at. But what action can you take? Why does it matter? In this week's episode we briefly explore why stress is an issue but more importantly we focus on strategies that we can choose to use to change things for us. Ranging from Steven Covey and his sharpening of the saw to the simple ABCDE model for managing priorities, and of course, not forgetting the importance of Really Useful Confident Conversations, done assertively and respectfully, to make sure we are managing workloads and boundaries. Tune in and then let me know what your commitment for the next 7 days will be?
We are often told that sleep is such an important thing, which sometimes is much easier said than done! If you are feeling stressed, anxious, even menopausal, sleep can be the much desired state that frustratingly we can't seem to achieve. What is it about sleep that makes it so important and how do we get a good quantity and quality of it so that we wake feel refreshed? This week's episode is a Really Useful Conversation with Sleep Expert Frances Taylor, who has been working in the wellbeing arena for over 15 years, and she realised that sleep was the missing piece in the health and wellbeing agenda and embarked on her mission to provide practical sleep support that actually worked. In this episode we talk about what we can do to enable a better night's sleep, along with things to avoid doing that might have the opposite effect and Frances offers a free opportunity for people to Regain Control of Sleep by completing a sleep questionnaire, receive personalised feedback together with practical actions to bring better sleep. You can find it on her website along with other useful information to help you sleep well, today!
April is Stress Awareness Month – and that’s not just younger folk climbing the career ladder, or working parents with childcare demands and lots to juggle BUT stress is also something that can affect us at all times in our working lives. I want to focus specifically on the impact that stress can have on the menopause AND vice versa and am presenting TWO free online webinars this month as my contribution for the call to take ACTION over simple awareness. April has been stress awareness month since 1992 and this year the Stress Management Society are extending an invitation to go beyond talking and are campaigning for taking action and personal responsibility in creating a positive change. They aim to create an opportunity for all of us to consider how we are going to do something to make things better, so please join me for my offer in support of their efforts.
Following the tragic story of the death by suicide of a 56 year old lady which reported how menopause is not routinely considered a contributing factor among women with low mood who need help, this week’s episode is recorded to raise awareness about such risks and encourage everyone, whether employer, HR Manager, mate, partner or spouse, male or female, to better understand the significant impact that menopause can have. As we head into Stress Awareness Month it is a good time to reflect on the stress/estrogen/menopause cycle and understand more about why stress management is so important and what this might mean to a business or employer as well as to women ourselves, and if you want to find out more and deepen your understanding, please visit our website where you will find more opportunities for FREE learning. Hope you find this useful.
In the month of International Women's Day and Mothering Sunday here in the UK, I read some shocking statistics suggesting that women are more at risk of burnout than men, more likely to step down, go part time or leave jobs completely, and are STILL more often the primary carers for families. So it was a real opportunity to speak to Vicky Harrison this week as to why that might be AND more importantly how to overcome it. As a busy Mum herself, a transformational coach helping driven women achieve professional success with confidence, and founder of The Driven Women's Club online community, Vicky is an excellent person to hear from. In her online community of ambitious women who dream big, and are achieving incredible things, but know the challenge of balancing this alongside family and personal commitments you can find out more about her and the work she does, but for now, settle in and listen to our Really Useful Conversation.
If you have been rewriting policies, updating procedures, rolling out communications but STILL not getting the conversations happening that NEED to be happening in your business, this week's podcast episode might help you to understand why. Many clients come to me after they have invested effort and energy into educating and teaching their management population around matters such as managing attendance, tackling poor performance, having sensitive conversations with a bereaved employee about leave, but are frustrated because despite all their best efforts, conversations are still not happening in the way they need to, and HR are still being asked to deal with the difficult stuff rather than the manager feeling confident to do so themselves. Join me for this brisk and pacey episode which may just help you appreciate their reluctance and offer you an answer to your concerns. Really Useful Conversations matter!
Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences, aiming to transform how neurodivergent individuals are perceived and supported while creating more inclusive and equitable cultures that celebrate differences and empower every individual. To mark the Celebration Week, my conversation with James Eves, Captain of Strategy for Work Pirates, Gallup Strengths Coach and recently diagnosed himself with ADHD, explores why we might avoid conversations, how fear around language can be an issue and we conclude that above all, sitting down with someone to have a Really Useful Conversation is probably the answer! We really do need to encourage more Really Useful Conversations you know!
For International Women's Day THIS YEAR and beyond, we are being encouraged to #EmbraceEquity and in this week's podcast I take a quick look at equity versus equality and why this matters, as well as touching on some significant reasons why we need to be pushing for equity in the workplace, and some examples of issues that demonstrate the importance of this. Join me and let me know what you think too?
For the last three decades I have had the opportunity to work across a vast range of industry sectors, from television through to the NHS, from the Fire Service to High Street Retailers and my experience over that time reinforces just how much leadership approach influences climate, some research says it is the SINGLE BIGGEST INFLUENCE – and I have to say, I am inclined to agree! So it makes sense that as we know positive team climate is the biggest driver of psychological safety, we have to track back to look at how leadership behaviours create psychological safety and allow team members to be genuine and authentic, for the good of the team AND the business. In this second part, we look specifically at the essential leadership behaviours for that to happen.
Following the report of McDonald's signing up to a commitment to deal with claims of sexual harassment in the workplace, this week we take a look at what needs to be present for people to feel safe to speak out and challenge where appropriate. This question takes us along the route of exploring leadership contributions, creating the right climate and having a strong foundation of psychological safety present. But what exactly is psychological safety? What difference does it make? How does it affect the climate or culture of a business, and indeed, the performance and attitude of the people within the business? Let's take a look together.
I am a BIG fan of open, honest, frank dialogue and so initiatives such as Time to Talk Day - which is the nation’s biggest mental health conversation run by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness – is something I would naturally support. If you are not familiar with Time to Talk Day, it’s described as a day for friends, families, communities, and workplaces to come together to talk, listen and change lives. However, what if someone chooses YOU to talk to? Sometimes we struggle hearing tough stuff. We worry about saying the “wrong” thing. We just don’t have all the answers! What if we really fluff it up and make matters worse? In this episode I talk about how to be amazing in situations like that and how good old fashioned listening to understand might be all the help that person needs. In fact, even with people like the Samaritans who are professionally trained, are providing an emotional support listening service – such is the power of feeling heard. Grab a brew, pull up a pew and LISTEN to this week’s episode!
For the last 23 years my purpose has been to help people have conversations in the workplace that matter. Whether dealing with a performance issue or supporting a colleague in distress, conversations really do matter and I have found that people are often reluctant to have conversations where there are more “sensitive topics” and so to stay safe, shy away. One such conversation that people often find awkward, due to fear of offending or not using the “right” words, is the topic of neurodiversity and so ignorance prevails as we are frightened to ask questions to learn more. In this episode I am delighted to interview Charlotte Valeur, who is driven to play her part in creating an inclusive society; being diagnosed as autistic at 52, she began advocating around Neurodiversity equality and inclusion, working at the intersection of Government, Industry and the Third Sector, as well as public speaking. She founded the global Institute of Neurodiversity in 2021 and as a woman with an incredible background in the corporate and not for profit world, offers a really useful insight. To find out more visit
Often when we want to make things better, be that our mental health, our physical health or even our financial health, we look for big shiny, sexy, hair audacious stuff to aim for. In this week's episode I am encouraging you to do yourself a favour and concentrate on the tiny little things, done consistently and well, that will make a longer lasting difference. Often when I run workshops on mental health and talk about the importance of getting rest and quality sleep, people want me to suggest something more exciting, more extreme, more sexy - when actually sleep is the Swiss Army Knife to so many of our healthy systems! If you are drawn to the excitement of a cold water swim every morning or feel like climbing a mountain is the way to get that real feel good flow, please tune into this episode first and just make sure you are not overlooking the important stuff and perhaps even setting yourself up to fail!
TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains discussion around the subject of suicide and suicidal thoughts, please skip this episode if this topic is likely to cause uncomfortable emotions for you. Please DO talk to a professional if suicide is a topic currently on your mind - there is always someone prepared to listen. Samaritans provide an excellent listening service 24/7 and you can contact them on 116 123, in confidence. This week's episode is an in-depth conversation with David Muir who talks openly about his poor mental health and suicidal thoughts. David works in the construction industry, and although not as big as he used to be, he is a big, confident Scottish man working in an industry known to have a greater risk of poor mental health and deaths by suicide amongst the workforce. In this episode he talks very candidly and honestly about his experience of "blue every day" and not just Blue Monday - and what that actually felt like for him. He talks about issues that he has carried with him since childhood and even how as an adult, he found it so very difficult to talk about how he was feeling. Thankfully a conversation with a work colleague was the first step towards dealing with his demons and today David talks openly, and will talk to ANYONE, about his mental and emotional health, in fact he is a big believer that talking about these things is absolutely crucial to survival and he is a big advocate of Really Useful Conversations that matter. If you work in the construction industry too and would like to encourage your business to do more to support mental health in the workplace, to perhaps even be the difference to someone like David, please do get in touch via
In this week's Really Useful Conversations podcast, my own experiences over the Christmas break remind me of a very important part of conversations - the language that we choose and use and the way in which we deliver them. I often joke with people about "not what you do but the way that you do it" when it comes to excellent communication, but this is a really poignant reminder of the power of language. Often we may have conversations or interactions that we move on from, gone from our mind, but maybe not for the other person. Maybe the words we used cause more impact than we realised? Maybe our attitude, state of mind or mood caused us to speak in a way that we might come to regret? Tune in to this week's episode and the opportunity to ponder and reflect and recognise that words can both harm and heal - depending on those you choose to use.
It's the most wonderful time of the year, according to the song that keeps getting played - but actually what if, for you, it really is not? Lots of people are telling me that the Christmas spirit has not caught up with them yet and others are sharing stories of challenging situations that mean this really is NOT the most wonderful time at all. Following a tough year with a cost of living crisis, fuel and energy costs, people striking and struggling to feed their families, this episode is about encouraging Really Useful Conversations at a time when not everyone will be decking the halls or indeed looking forward to festive cheer. Every single one of us has the capacity to make a difference - just by being a decent human being, and I hope this week's brief episode will encourage you to look out for those who might just need a damn good dose of listening to right now!
In this episode we recognise the importance of having conversations that matter, whether with colleagues, clients, suppliers or the boss. So often we are our own worst enemy and fail to speak up and not only does this impact on our career but also our well-being and mental health. Whether exploring perception v reality, transactional analysis or the wonderful Bananarama - there’s an offer here for everyone!
Join me for a Really Useful Conversation this week with Anna Meller, who, following an early corporate career in HR Anna has spent the past 25 years working as a consultant, researcher and writer. Her specialist focus is on flexible, remote and new ways of working and the future of work. Anna works with employers to create new working cultures and practices that support wellbeing, inclusion and women's progression into senior roles. She is also the UK's leading work-life balance expert and a founder member of the BPS Division of Occupational Psychology's working group on work-life balance. Her second book: Upcycle Your Job: the smart way to balance family life and career was published in 2019. It offers readers an evidence based six step process to identifying the work life balance arrangements that suit them best.
I make no secret of my journey to and from the bottom of the narrow, dark tunnel and have never hidden the work I tried to do around that time to keep myself safe, or forgotten the people that kept me alive - but if I had known then what I know NOW, I reckon my life would have been sooooo much better and easier! I might not even have got to the desperate point of intending to end my life and maybe even physically AND financially would be in a much better place! Hindsight is a wonderful thing ... But how about if you could learn from my experience, avoid that deep. dark hole, help your partner, spouse, mate, team member or colleague be more aware, more informed, more able to avoid the pitfalls that I tumbled into? This week's episode is definitely worth listening to AND visit the website to find out even more, for free! Hindsight is wonderful, but can also be a harsh task master - learn from MY lack of knowledge and don't go there yourself!
Menopause isn’t just hot flushes and night sweats - in fact the majority of women report that the cognitive, emotional and psychological symptoms are often far more debilitating. Anxiety, depression, lingering sadness and even an increased risk of suicidal thoughts. This is a Really Useful Conversation we need to be having and information that needs to be better known and understood. If you’re a Well-being Champion or First Aider for Mental Health, or an MHFA trained person, this is an episode you really do need to tune into and perhaps consider the add-on learning module too.
In a world where everything moves at pace and where twists and turns are around each corner, organisations who take care of their people and truly value and invest in wellbeing will triumph in this competitive labour market. Whether they are upskilling their managers to have conversations that matter about subjects such as mental health, wellbeing, menopause or investing in appointed persons as Wellbeing Champions or First Aiders for Mental Health, it is easy to understand why such organisations will be more attractive to potential employees and how they will retain talent and expertise from within. This week we have had menopause awareness day here in the UK and it's great to see organisations engaging in this - but will it be "business as usual" next week once the date on the calendar has passed?
Pam Brown works in the very male dominated financial services industry and when menopausal symptoms began she started avoiding meetings, questioning her confidence, declining invitations and felt like sitting in the corner with a bucket on her head, literally crying over spilt milk. She’s since been nominated for Women’s Industry Recognition Awards, climbed Ben Nevis and is in training for a half marathon! Tune in to listen to our very casual but Really Useful Conversation as we do our bit to promote Menopause Awareness Day in the UK this week. Contact Pam through if you want to find out more about free well-being advice through certain life protection policies too.
This month is a busy month for me and my business. World Mental Health Day and Menopause Awareness Month are two initiatives designed to keep the conversations going about these two very important topics. The theme for WMHD is around mental health and wellbeing for all as a GLOBAL priority - but before we go global, let's check out our own back yard first and as for the menopause, we need to push past the limited stereotypical view of hot flushes and night sweats and understand more about the debilitating symptoms, be that emotional, psychological or physical that 80% of women will experience. Continuing the conversation is the theme - and I've started so I'll finish! Lots to think about this month!
So often people are familiar with the issue of the number of men who take their own lives - particularly middle aged men and the fact that 75% of deaths by suicide in the UK are male. However, not everyone is as aware of the significant increase over recent years in young female suicide. During a recent workshop I ran, a lot of people were curious as to what reason there could be for this and we chatted about various potential contributing factors. The question stuck in my head though and I started to explore the factors that might make life more challenging, more overwhelming for young females in the UK and suggest what a few of those things might be in this episode. By no means scientific or evidence based but certainly some food for thought. Although the overall message I want you to take away is - nobody is immune, suicide does not discriminate - look out for those around you. Take care x
One of the common myths around the sensitive subject of suicide is that people who attempt suicide or die by suicide are all mentally ill. Now mental illness can indeed play a part, it can be a risk factor, but not everyone who is mentally ill will die by suicide, just as not everyone who dies by suicide is mentally ill! There are a whole host of factors which often create a complex combination of issues that bring a person to that state of feeling hopeless and desperate about life - join me in this week's podcast to find out more and by better understanding these issues, make a positive difference in your community.
I never intended to be away from podcast land for so long but projects, work, life got in the way - but I am delighted to be back, bringing more opportunities for people to get comfortable with the uncomfortable and have conversations that matter. I believe there are Seven Significant Conversations that all managers, leaders and business owners need to be able to have yet we sometimes shy away from them, avoid difficult or challenging conversations, sweep sensitive subjects under the carpet - and this series is all about putting your big girl pants on and saying what needs to be said! In a way that is appropriate and achieves the desired outcome, of course!
After 30 episodes of what I am told is excellent content, Season One comes to a close and I am taking a breather. Chance to pause, reflect and see what we need to have a Really Useful Conversation about next. What do you think??
After 30 episodes of what I am told is excellent content, Season One comes to a close and I am taking a breather. Chance to pause, reflect and see what we need to have a Really Useful Conversation about next. What do you think??
For the last 22 years I have been helping managers across every sector to have difficult conversations in the workplace. Whether around poor performance, absence, conduct or capability, managers need to be able to have Crucial Conversations that matter. To celebrate my 22nd Anniversary in business, this episode is all about how to have those conversations - starting from it's original Tough Talk workshop and how it has developed to Crucial Conversations for today's clients. Everyone needs to be capable of saying what needs to be said, but in a way that maintains positive relationships so I hope this helps! https://confidentconversations.co.uk
Conversations can change organisations; develop relationships, improve standards, increase results – conversations can even save lives and this week in the UK, on Thursday 3rd Feb, it is Time to Talk Day. Run by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, is the nation’s biggest mental health conversation so I thought it only right that this weeks Really Useful Conversations podcast episode should be encouraging more of us to get involved, to get more comfortable with the uncomfortable and contribute to communities, whether in the workplace or socially, where people feel they can talk openly about stuff that is bothering them and feel empowered to get any help they might need and I hope you get lots of value from this podcast. There are conversations that we all need to be having more of.
Covid and the instruction to “work from home” thrust a lot of companies into hybrid working for the first time, with little chance to prepare or set good foundations in place and as hybrid seems to be now much more popular with people, I had a Really Useful Conversation with Gary Cook, author of HR for Hybrid Working, and we talked about what organisations might need to now do differently, how their people policies might need to change and what advice Gary would offer from his extensive research to HR professionals over the next 12 months. I hope you will find the conversation as useful as I did! Please do share with other HR folk if you think they would benefit too and find out more about Gary here www.epichr.co.uk
There is NO science to support the claim that the third Monday in January is the most depressing day of the year HOWEVER there is a LOT of science behind the suggestion that conversations and human connection matter. Can I suggest that you ignore the media hype for Blue Monday, and focus on making it BREW Monday - an excellent opportunity to check in with your team and colleagues and have conversations that matter. If you find that someone is struggling, there is a FREE download on my website that you will find helpful and if you need advice on topping up the resilience and well-being tank, then you will find this episode really useful. Learn about the Pillars of Wellbeing and how, even if we can't change issues that are affecting us, we can build our resilience levels to cope with them.
Lots of organisations right now are dealing with high levels of absence due to the ongoing challenge with Covid, and many are establishing policies and approaches for dealing with that. The UK Government warned employers to prepare for as much as a 25% absence rate, but whether during a pandemic or otherwise, how should we be managing absence? What conversations should we be having? Why do those conversations matter? Tune in to this week’s episode for a useful overview of what the process should be and why it matters, as well as some thoughts about bringing people back to work safely and successfully. Even without the Coronavirus pandemic, we should be skilled and confident to have conversations that matter.
When we struggle with something we often try to hide it, relating struggle with failure and not wanting to accept it, admit it or acknowledge it! If I am struggling am I not coping? Should you not trust me if I am struggling? How comfortable are you at letting me struggle, or do you need to fix it? At the start of a brand new year when people are often focussing on New Year Resolutions and setting goals for the year ahead, what a perfect time to talk to Productivity Ninja Grace Marshall, who is a big advocate of struggling, so much so that she wrote a book about it! Grace suggests that Struggle is the place where the treasure and golden nuggets can be found and that by shying away from it or avoiding it, we are missing the opportunities that really matter. You can find out more about Grace and why struggle matters at – I hope you enjoy our conversation and it gives you some food for thought as we face into a brand new year.
Something of my personal story today, as I had my own period of living with the very uncomfortable and not talking about it. I make no secret of my very unhappy marriage, where I felt trapped, stuck, controlled and couldn’t see a way out – someone who told me that I would never survive without them, couldn’t cope, my son would suffer too and so I stayed put for ALL the wrong reasons. And this week is the anniversary of the time when I finally said “Actually no – it’s done” …. Reflecting on how things were, how things now are and how things might be – if only we had the courage to say what needs to be said and lead the life that makes us truly happy! Conversations can change and even save lives – Really Useful ones especially. I hope my Twixtmas episode gives you the clarity for 2022 and what needs to be said. Really Useful Resources are available on the website if you feel you need professional help in dealing with unsatisfactory stuff. Take good care x
Our often stereotypical view of someone with a drink problem is the dishevelled homeless man on the park bench with a can of beer in his hand at 10am – we rarely conjure up the image of the nicely presented, manicured and coiffed HR professional who is actually a high functioning alcoholic underneath it all. In this episode I talk to Janet Gourand, founder and leader at Tribe Sober, an international community of people who are enjoying the benefits of a sober life. Janet was indeed once that HR professional – suited and booted and succeeding in the corporate world, yet hiding a drink problem that would cause issues such as almost drowning, being rescued naked by the fire service and completely forgetting episodes of her life. She shares how, as a high functioning alcoholic, a glass of wine every night was the norm, and in fact became much more, and how eventually she had to make a choice. We also talk about how to have a Really Useful Conversation with someone if you are concerned about their drinking habits and how to help them get the help they need; also how to get the help YOU might need if that person is you. For more details about Janet and the work she does, and to get help yourself, please visit
Menopause is so much more than hot flushes and night sweats and if we consider the number of women who struggle with increased risk of stress, anxiety, depression and even thoughts of suicide, we need to be more aware and supportive within the workplace. We need to be aware of the increase in employment tribunals citing menopause as a contributing factor, the number of women who consider quitting their role, and those who struggle with lack of self confidence, inability to focus and concentrate and those who start to doubt their ability to do their job. The number of women dying by suicide who are of menopausal age has increased, as has the number of employment tribunals - as our awareness and understanding improves, so should the way that employers handle this critical life stage. We will be hosting an online seminar on this important subject in January and you can find out more details at https://confidentconversations.co.uk/mmh
According to recent research, over half the employees surveyed said they would welcome a two week lockdown over Christmas to help them deal with their feelings of overwhelm and burnout, caused by the return to the workplace since July 2021. With absence figures running high, employer expectations high, customer expectations higher, 73% of respondents said they were really struggling with "returnism", following a long period away from the workplace due to the Coronavirus global pandemic. What is causing this? What do we need to be doing about it? Is a two week festive lockdown the answer? Tune in to this week's episode to learn more as we have a Really Useful Conversation about this issue and visit to access free resources to help if this is the case for you.
You can prepare meticulously for a Confident Conversation by having all the facts to hand, researching relevant history, being able to offer specific examples of the topic BUT if your head is not in the right place and your thinking is faulty, it can all go pear-shaped and the conversation gets messy. As human beings we can experience cognitive distortion, or faulty thinking, such as making sweeping generalisations, jumping to conclusions, even deleting information or facts from our perspective - none of which is helpful, so this week we are addressing that exact issue AND there is a free download on the website to help you work on your own challenges - be sure to grab a copy!
As a big fan of Confident Conversations, I was intrigued to see Helen Frewin's book "Better than Confidence" - and of course I had to ask, what could be better than confidence? Well, as Helen explains to us, confidence is indeed a good thing, but there are simple and effective tools that we can all use that are better than trying to build confidence, and when I got into reading the book, the lady has a point! Helen is a Business Psychologist, Executive Coach, speaker and facilitator. With 20 years experience, she and I have a lot in common, including our love of Really Useful Conversations, and I feel Helen's Thinking Tools are useful for anyone who is fed up of trying to build their confidence, and is looking for something better! Better Than Confidence is out now, earlier than anticipated, so grab your copy and find out more!
As a manager you are probably well aware of your duty of care to your team, being able to offer support and signpost to help if needed, have conversations that matter about mental health, stress and other such issues - but what if the one who is in need of help is you? There has been much more focus on employee wellbeing this last year or so, which is great, but what about managers who are caught in the middle? Responsible for supporting their team and ensuring that organisational objectives are achieved - perhaps having to learn how to manage remotely, lead change operationally, look out for everyone else, it can be tough as a manager, leader or business owner and so this Really Useful Conversation is aimed at you and how you might need to take better care of yourself. Self care is not selfish, NOR is it all massages and bubble bath, sandals and candles, but if that works for you, fantastic - if not, then you'll appreciate this episode and the Self Care for Managers Guide that can be accessed through our website . You cannot pour from an empty bottle and if you are not in a good state yourself, how can you possibly support your team?
We know that if conflict arises in the workplace it can cause stress, tension, anxiety. Relationships can be damaged, grievances raised, performance dips and the atmosphere affected. We also know that the longer issues are left and not tackled, the wider and the more difficult the problem becomes. Sometimes both parties get so stuck in their own perspective of the issue that it feels like there is nowhere to go - and people can even fall out over a banana! Our interview with Pete Colby, expert mediator and trainer, from Pragmatism UK, helps us understand the issues, how mediation can help and when we need to use it - if we want to minimise stress, time lost and significant cost to the business. Contact Pete via his website
This week is International Stress Awareness Week and given that stress can negatively impact our health, our behaviour, our performance at work and our relationships with others, it's important that as managers and leaders, we are able to have conversations around this subject that matter. Even more important that as an organisation, we exercise our duty of care and protect our employees from stress and make sure that the workplace is not adding to or even causing someone's stressful experiences. In this week's episode we offer useful advice for managers to keep themselves AND their teams safe - for more details please visit https://confidentconversations.co.uk/stress
Conversations can change organisations, develop relationships, improve results, increase standards - conversations can even save lives, and there are 7 Significant Conversations that all effective managers, leaders, HR professionals and business owners should be able to have, if they are to get the best out of their team. In this episode we take a look at what those conversations are, starting with the Confident Conversation for a newly promoted team leader, all the way through to a Crisis Conversation if a member of your team is struggling with poor mental health or related issues. A fantastic opportunity to make sure your communication as a leader is where it needs to be and get the FREE downloads from https://confidentconversations.co.uk
Menopause will impact around half the UK population directly, and indirectly will impact all of us. Employers risk losing talent and facing expensive employment tribunals for failing to support women appropriately, and this week we hear from Sarah Airey, Head of HR at Biffa, a leading UK waste management company with a predominantly male workforce, who are doing fabulous things around diversity, inclusion and family friendly policies. As many as 1 in 4 women think of quitting their jobs, 90% saying they have no support from their employer. 18th October is World Menopause Day is designed to raise awareness and it's time for more employers to engage in this Really Useful Conversation and take positive steps. Start by downloading our free resource
The theme for this year's World Mental Health Day is inequality - Mental Health in an Unequal World and in this podcast we look at what that means for employers and how they can ensure that the mental health of their employees is protected and appropriate support given when needed, without becoming counsellors or therapists. Really Useful Conversations about inequality, mental health and developing a great culture within the business - such important issues.
As many as 1 in four women will think about quitting their jobs as a result of having to deal with menopause symptoms, and more Employment Tribunals are citing menopause as a factor, so today we have a Really Useful Conversation, at the start of Menopause Awareness Month, to help employers consider what they need to be doing to support women during this life stage, in order to avoid losing talent, experience, expertise and knowledge and avoid claims of unfair treatment or even dismissal with menopause as the reason.
With a recent media report suggesting an increase in homophobic attacks, how can we truly bring our whole selves to work and do our best work, if it isn't safe to be who we really are? How do organisations create a culture where everyone can be true to themselves and therefore invest energy in their performance, not in pretending? What about the culture? Is Equal Opportunity training just a tick box exercise? My conversation with Rod Webb from Trainers Library is a Really Useful one!
So often when we think about improving conversations, we think about transmission - what to say, how to say it, language, tone, being more engaging, entertaining, witty - we rarely consider the importance of reception - listening! REALLY listening! A critical skill that we are rarely taught to do but that makes such a difference to our understanding, relationships, connections and trust. Listening can even save lives! For more help in improving your conversation skills, check out our new Stepping Stones to Successful Conversations programme at https://confidentconversations.co.uk/stepping-stones
Every 40 seconds, somewhere in the world, someone dies by suicide. But what can you possibly do about it? This year's theme for World Suicide Prevention Day is "Creating hope through action" and this week's episode will help you understand how you can make a positive difference in your community, without being a mental health expert, counsellor or therapist. Grab a brew, pull up a pew and learn how YOU can make a difference. 1 in 5 people will have thoughts of suicide at some point, if that is you, please DO get the help you need - there are alternatives, I promise you, and there are people who can help. Go to to download a FREE list of Really Useful Resources. If suicide is on your mind right now, please do reach out - there is ALWAYS another way. you just might need help to find it. Samaritans 116 123 HopeLine UK 0800 068 41 41 Text SHOUT to 85258
This week is World Suicide Prevention Week and to help support the theme of "Creating Hope through Action" we talk to Adele Owen QPM, Greater Manchester Suicide Prevention Programme Manager, about the work they are doing to "Shine a light on suicide" in their community. One in 5 of us will have thoughts of suicide and following a very unsettling year, we want to make sure that everyone knows how to make a difference and where to get the help they might need. to find out more and to download some Really Useful Resources and access the information referred to in today's episode, go to https://confidentconversations.co.uk/wspd21
This week I am delighted to be joined by Jill Bottomley from the HR Dept. and we talk about conversations that employers are having right now, as we transition back to the workplace, furlough finishes and the potential of redundancy looms. As Jill says, communication is key right now and sadly there are conversations that employers are NOT having that they really need to, so I do hope you will find this episode interesting, whether as an employer, manager, HR professional or even an employee wondering what your rights are. Jill has over 30 years of experience and expertise in the HR arena and as well as offering her clients very pragmatic and commercially focused HR advice, can also provide SME’s with funded training around Managing Teams in Changing Times which will help with such issues. You can find out more about Jill here and about the training she provides for SME’s. You might also be interested in investing in your own Confident Conversations skills and our new online programme will be available HERE from the 20th September. Take a look and pre-order now to benefit from a discounted launch rate at https://confidentconversations.co.uk/stepping-stones
I noticed earlier this week a report in the media showing mental health referrals have increased in the UK by almost 20% compared to pre-COVID levels. So this week, we're going to have a really useful conversation about mental health. As leaders, managers and HR professionals, conversations around mental health are very relevant and important. But how do we, as an organisation, support people in the right way? How do we signpost people so they get the help they need? What is out duty of care when it comes to mental health? Listen to the podcast for some really useful tips on how to get started, and click the link below to access some of the resources on my website to help you get started. Here are the highlights: {1:06} Mental health issues are on the rise {3:59} You don't need to be the help {7:01} Are you okay mate? {12:59} Build effective relationships with your teams at all times {15:40} Creating a healthy climate to have difficult conversations {19:45} Be confident enough to ask the questions To find out more about Andrea and the Really Useful Conversations she can have with your organisation, visit And remember to follow the podcast and leave a review.
You know when we need to say something, or we absolutely need to have a conversation, but we put it off? Perhaps we dither about the effects that conversation might have, or we tell ourselves that we're waiting for the right time. But I promise you, after 26 years of focusing specifically on conversations that matter, there is never a perfect time. So this week I am talking about the importance of time; the timing, the timeliness, and how much time do we need to allow for conversations that matter? Time can make or break the outcome of that conversation. Here are the highlights: {1:32} Time does matter {3:36} The deafening silence {4:42} There is never a perfect time, only good timing {8:10} It's easier to escalate issues than confront them {12:00} The 'It's only happened once' excuse {14:25} Get in the right frame of mind Download the Stepping Stones to Successful Conversations guide too - a fantastic, free resource to help you have conversations that matter, successfully! To find out more about Andrea and the Really Useful Conversations she can have with your organisation, visit And remember to follow the podcast and leave a review.
Conversations can change organizations. Conversations can develop relationships, improve standards, increase results. Conversations can even save lives. I'm keen to encourage more people to get comfortable with the uncomfortable and have conversations that really matter. But how exactly do we do that? How do we get more comfortable? Where do we get the confidence to have such conversations? That's exactly what we're going to focus on in this week's episode. Here are the highlights: {1:38} The vicious circle {4:03} Everything deteriorates without conversation {7:26} The first thing to deal with is our own mindset {12:01} Failing to have those conversations is failing in your role as a manager {12:57} Understand what the issue really is {16:09} Preparation helps you speak clear and concise {18:17} As Bananarama once said... The free pdf mentioned can be downloaded from my website right here Don't forget to enter the competition for your chance to win some fab launch party give aways: To find out more about Andrea and the Really Useful Conversations she can have with your organisation, visit And remember to follow or subscribe to the podcast and leave a review.
One of the conversations I probably spend most of my time training around is the crucial or challenging conversation. And so in this episode I am focusing on those challenges. As we return to work following a year of high uncertainty many organisations will be faced with their own challenges., and this podcast will help you start to address them in the right way. Here are the highlights: {1:39} Attitudes are changing with the times {6:13} Your patience may be tested {8:10} All managers worry about difficult conversations {10:57} If you keep brushing stuff under the carpet it'll trip you {12:51} Have the courage and confidence to deal with challenging conversations {17:33} Preparation is crucial You can access the ReallyUseful Managers' Roadmap here: Don't forget to enter the competition for your chance to win some fab launch party give aways: To find out more about Andrea and the Really Useful Conversations she can have with your organisation, visit And remember to follow the podcast and leave a review.
In this episode, as we rumble closer and closer to the world opening up and people returning properly to the workplace, we're going to focus on Really Useful Conversations to support people in that return. In episode one talked about the important of consultation and conversation, and this time we're focusing on another area of conversation which could arise during this period - that of employee wellbeing. Here are the highlights: {2:47} People need to safe about going back to work {5:13} Wellbeing must be a priority {8:44} Your employees have changed {11:50} The four F words {15:06} The Wellbeing Return Action Plan {18:08} Check in and ask how they're feeling {20:50} One-to-ones take time but add a lot of value You can access the Really Useful Managers' Roadmap here: If you need some Really Useful Resources to signpost your people to, grab a list of relevant organisations in the UK here: Don't forget to enter the competition for your chance to win a fabulous selection of swag to celebrate our launch To find out more about Andrea and the Really Useful Conversations she can have with your organisation, visit And please remember to follow the podcast and leave a review.
In this episode I want to encourage you to think about, and prepare for, conversations with your teams around the post-Covid transition. There are lots of organisations right now who are indeed looking at more flexible working options, and I've been working with clients recently who have been looking at what will work best for them going forward. So in this podcast we look at the conversations you need to be having when considering hybrid working and the expectations of a post-Covid workforce. Here are the highlights: {0:53} The call back to the workplace is louder {3:37} There is a risk of losing talent {6:01} Enable a better balance for your staff {10:05} What will hybrid working look like? {12:54} They just wanted lockers and clean mugs {15:19} Fulfilling your duty of care {17:41} There's only so much you can do You can access the ReallyUseful Managers' Roadmap here: Don't forget to enter the competition for your chance to win some fab launch party give aways: To find out more about Andrea and the Really Useful Conversations she can have with your organisation, visit And remember to follow the podcast and leave a review.
Welcome to the Really Useful Conversations podcast. My name is Andrea Newton, and I'm looking forward to sharing with you lots of practical tips, techniques, and insights to help you have conversations that matter. For the last 26 years, I've been helping organizations to develop the skill and competence to have seven significant conversations. And over the years, across many different industry sectors, I've seen how conversations can change organizations, how conversations develop relationships, increase results, improve standards, and even save lives. But I've also seen how, when a conversation is done badly or avoided completely, the negative impact that can have, even years later. And so we should never underestimate the importance of really useful conversations and the difference they can make. So please do subscribe and join me every week when I'll be sharing with you some very practical down to earth, no nonsense learning and advice so that you too can have conversations that matter.