The Executive Edge: Recent Episodes

Sue Firth

The Executive Edge is the podcast that gives you an edge in life and business with practical skills that you can apply to achieve and maintain success.

Hosted by UK psychologist and business adviser, Sue Firth. The show is a mix of interviews, tips, business insights and inspiration.

Episode 239

Released August 5, 2026

Boomer Anderson's story will resonate with anyone who has ever pushed a little too hard for a little too long.

Boomer — CEO at Troscriptions & Health Optimization Medicine and Practice (HOMeHOPe) — started early. He was trading stocks at 12 and reading macroeconomics for fun.

He started on Wall Street on 15 September 2008, the very day Lehman Brothers collapsed.

From there his career climbed steeply. He covered a fourteen-country territory from Singapore and travelled to around forty countries in four years.

From the outside it looked like he was living it up in the fast lane; however, on the inside he was having panic attacks and running on four hours' sleep a night.

Then at thirty, life threw a massive curve ball at him in the form of a serious medical diagnosis. Lean, extremely fit, with a six-pack and very low body fat, he was stunned when a routine scan revealed calcium in his arteries.

Suddenly, Boomer understood that appearances are deceptive: looking healthy and being healthy are not necessarily the same thing.

What Boomer did next is the heart of this episode. He pointed his finance brain and his love of data straight at his own health, and it changed the course of his life and his career.

What we cover in the show * Boomer's "stress bucket" idea, and why he believes emptying it matters as much as filling it * How constant travel and broken sleep affected his body's natural rhythms * Why he sees a little stress as useful, and where he feels the healthy line sits * His take on why so many high achievers get hooked on adrenaline and dopamine * The path from banker to co-founder and CEO of Troscriptions

Takeaway Boomer's message is full of hope. He suggests that you can love your work and still risk burning out, and a peak period is very different from a life spent permanently in one.

Boomer's own story shows that the damage can be undone and that recovery is not the enemy of high performance. It sits right alongside it. Your ambition is a gift. The body that carries it deserves the same care and attention you give the work itself.

Connect with Boomer Look for Boomer on LinkedIn and mention the show when you connect.

Troscriptions is on Instagram and the usual channels. You can learn more about his nonprofit, Health Optimization Medicine and Practice, at homehope.org.

We opened up so many threads that Boomer has promised to come back for a part two on the "cognitive athlete." I can already tell it will be a good one.

A quick note. This episode is a conversation about health and high performance, shared for general interest only. It is not medical advice, and nothing here is a recommendation to take any particular supplement. Please speak to your own doctor before making changes to your sleep, supplements or routine.

Episode 238

Released July 23, 2026

This week on Episode 238 of The Executive Edge, I talk to Christy Pretzinger, founder of The Better Leader Project, CEO of healthcare content agency WG Content, and author of Your Cultural Balance Sheet.

Christy has built her business around an idea that rarely appears in a strategy document but shapes everything she does: kindness.

Together, we explore why so many younger employees arrive at work technically capable but lacking the interpersonal skills employers quietly assume they already possess. We discuss why this isn't a character flaw or a generational weakness—it's a gap in how we've prepared people for work.

With AI transforming the workplace, Christy argues that the qualities that will set us apart are the ones we've spent years calling "soft skills": empathy, curiosity, vulnerability and the ability to genuinely listen.

What you'll learn * Why empathy, curiosity and listening are actually hard skills that determine career success. * How perfectionism often becomes a strategy for managing shame—and why "better" is a healthier goal than "perfect". * Why vulnerability has to be practised in safe environments before people can bring it into the workplace. * How leaders can correct mistakes without damaging confidence. * Why sharing experience is often more powerful than giving advice. * How kindness and accountability can exist side by side.

The skills nobody teaches One of the ideas that really resonated with me is that employers expect young people to arrive at work already equipped with resilience, emotional intelligence and confidence.

The reality is very different.

As I share in our conversation, I saw this with my own two children, now 24 and 28. They learnt how to work hard, meet deadlines and do all the "right" things, but what caught them out was everything else—receiving difficult feedback, navigating uncertainty and working out what they wanted rather than simply meeting other people's expectations.

Businesses inherit this gap. If nobody helps people bridge it, they often conclude that they are the problem.

Christy makes the point that empathy, vulnerability, curiosity and listening aren't "soft" skills at all. They're the hardest skills to master—and increasingly they're the ones that distinguish us from AI.

Better, not perfect One of Christy's signature talks is called Better, Not Perfect.

She describes perfectionism as a form of shame management. The thinking goes something like this:

"If I can just be perfect, then I'll never have to feel ashamed."

The problem is that perfection is unattainable. No matter how hard we chase it, it always stays just beyond reach.

"Better", however, is measurable. It simply means becoming a little wiser, a little kinder and a little more capable than yesterday.

Christy calls this your Better Quotient (BQ)—a mindset that grows through practice rather than perfection.

Creating psychological safety One of the strongest themes in our conversation is vulnerability.

Christy believes younger employees cannot be expected to be open and honest if their managers never model vulnerability themselves.

I couldn't agree more.

When leaders admit mistakes, acknowledge uncertainty and demonstrate that learning is valued more than appearing flawless, they create psychological safety.

Without that safety, everyone keeps their armour on—and the conversations that really matter never happen.

These skills cannot simply be read about.

They have to be practised somewhere people feel accepted before they can confidently bring them into the workplace.

Experience beats advice Another idea I particularly liked was Christy's approach to performance conversations.

Rather than relying on annual reviews that rank people and focus on shortcomings, she encourages leaders to share experience instead of dispensing advice.

Instead of saying:

"Here's what you should have done."

Try saying:

"When I was in a similar situation, this is what happened to me, and here's what I learned."

It preserves dignity, encourages learning and makes difficult conversations far more productive.

Kindness isn't weakness One thing Christy is very clear about is that kindness doesn't mean lowering standards.

It means creating an environment where people are allowed to make mistakes, learn from them and improve without being humiliated.

That still requires boundaries, honest feedback and accountability.

The difference is that correction comes with clarity and respect rather than blame.

As Christy says, leaders should let people stumble where the consequences are survivable, help them recover quickly and use mistakes as opportunities to grow.

This week's takeaway For me, the biggest message from this conversation is that the challenges many employers see in younger generations aren't simply a matter of attitude.

They're the result of a training gap.

The leaders who will thrive are those who stop assuming people already possess the skills they need and start teaching them.

In a world increasingly shaped by AI, our greatest competitive advantage isn't technology—it's our humanity.

And perhaps the simplest leadership lesson of all is this:

Stop making assumptions about what people need. Ask them.

Episode 237

Released July 9, 2026

This episode of my podcast sits a little outside my usual territory. Most weeks I'm here talking about the psychology behind performance, leadership and how we show up. However, this week I'm taking you somewhere more practical: my guest is Steve Turner of Solomon Turner PR.

We talk about public relations, and how getting it right builds your reputation over time. It still fits everything I care about on this show, giving you an edge in life and business. Reputation is one of the quietest advantages you can have, so I think there's plenty here worth your time.

Steve started out in journalism, working in TV, radio and sports broadcasting, before moving into advertising and then founding his own PR firm. He has run campaigns for names including Tony Robbins and Brian Tracy. He runs the business alongside his wife and business partner, Shelly Solomon, one of the first women to own an advertising agency in the St. Louis market in the US. Steve is also the author of PR That Works.

In this episode we cover: * Why PR is not the same as marketing or advertising. It builds relationships and trust over the long term, with what Steve calls a long tail. * The most common mistake. Treating PR as one-off publicity rather than a proper strategy. * Steve's five-step plan. Set a clear objective, define your real audience, sharpen your message, choose the right delivery, and measure what actually works. * Why thought leadership matters most for smaller companies, where the leader is the face of the business. * How a book, a blog or a podcast appearance gives you third-party credibility that your own sales pitch never can. * The value of amplifying every piece of coverage across your own channels rather than letting it sit.

The main takeaway If there is one thing I want you to carry away from this, it is this.

Reputation is not something that simply happens to you.

It is built, deliberately, over time.

Steve made a point that stayed with me. The most powerful thing said about you is rarely the thing you say about yourself. When a respected voice puts its name next to yours, whether that is an interviewer, a journalist or a fellow leader, it lends you a credibility your own pitch never can.

So treat your visibility as strategy rather than vanity. Decide what you want to be known for, then show up for it consistently, in the places the right people are already looking. It is a long game, and it rarely delivers overnight. But for a leader, being known for the right reasons is one of the surest advantages you can build.

Connect with Steve * Website: solomonturner.com * Book: getprthatworks.com

PR That Works: Real Strategies, Real Campaigns, Real Results (Amazon) brings together 28 strategies, 14 real campaigns and interviews with four leaders in the industry. * LinkedIn: Steve Turner

Episode 236. Released June 25, 2026

This week I'm joined by Louisa Loran, a global executive advisor, board member and author of Leadership Anatomy in Motion.

Louisa has spent more than two decades at the heart of some of the world's biggest businesses, including Diageo, Maersk and Google.

Change is everywhere right now, and Louisa sees it for what it really is. A genuine opportunity to add another valuable piece to your business.

The encouraging part is that it starts with something you already have. Clarity about who you are, what you do well, and where you want to go.

What we cover * Why change is an invitation rather than a threat, and how strong leaders treat new information as one more useful piece for the puzzle. * The trap of box-ticking with AI, and the smarter question to ask. What does this capability add to the value I already create? * A quick reframing exercise you can use today. Imagine your sharpest competitor owned your business. What would they do next? * Why five-year plans and endless small wins both fall short, and how to hold your long-term direction while making confident short-term moves. * Louisa's four behaviours from the book. Envisioning with ambition, expanding with curiosity, steering decisively and embodying with presence. * How to lead with presence, build followership, and create the space for others to step up alongside you.

A favourite moment Louisa describes leadership as something you carry in your own body. The eye to see further. The lungs to breathe space into ideas. The arms to steer with a clear signal. The spine to stand tall and grounded while still being able to move. It's a lovely, practical picture, and a reminder that every one of us can practise these things every single day.

More about Louisa Louisa Loran advises boards and executive teams through periods of significant change. She sits on the boards of Copenhagen Business School and a private equity firm, and she was recently named to the Thinkers50 Radar 2026. Her book, Leadership Anatomy in Motion, is an Amazon bestseller and an award winner, full of honest, real-world storytelling drawn straight from her career.

One line from her own site stayed with me after we finished recording:

Another agreeing voice won't move it forward. Honest perspective will.

If you want a strategic advisor who will challenge you well, make sure you learn more about Louisa:

Website: louisaloran.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/louisa-loran

Episode 235

Released June 11, 2026

Everyone wants momentum. Move faster, scale quicker, get ahead. Yet very few businesses actually have it.

This week I talk with Chip Higgins, author of The Bizzics Way. Chip took one equation from physics, mass times velocity, and turned it into a refreshingly practical model for growth. His point is simple:

we pour everything into velocity and ignore mass. You need both.

Mass is weight, not size. A volleyball and a bowling ball can be the same size with very different mass. In business, your mass is your density. The calibre of your team, the clarity of your vision, and how tightly your people are bonded to it. Size alone is just bulk.

Bonding creates the energy. Recruitment, onboarding and shared values are not soft extras. When people bond to each other and to what the company stands for, that connection produces the energy you need to move.

Velocity needs a direction. Wanting to be bigger is not a strategy. Know exactly which customers you are going after, and accept that growth, client satisfaction and profitability often pull against each other.

There is a lot more in the full conversation, including why a small startup can carry more momentum than a lumbering corporate. ➡️ Press play at the top of this post to listen in full.

Find Chip's book The Bizzics Way on Amazon, and learn more at bizzics.com.

Episode 234

Released May 28, 2026

You know the feeling. You've read the books, done the therapy, tried the positive thinking. And yet. Same patterns. Same reactions. Same stuck points — just in slightly different circumstances.

In this episode, Sue talks with Joanna Kleinman — a psychotherapist and leadership coach with 30 years of experience and the creator of the Mind Method. Joanna's work starts from a simple but radical premise: you can't change your conditioned mind. But you can stop letting it run the show.

This is a conversation about why high achievers often feel the least fulfilled, why the strategies that got you here can quietly sabotage you, and what it actually takes to break the loop — not through willpower, but through practice.

Released May 14, 2026

Episode 233

Fourteen years working with NBA players teaches you something most leadership books miss: the gap between good and great is almost never technical. It's psychological.

This week I sit down with Tom Mitchell — 40+ years coaching elite athletes and business leaders, co-author of an Amazon bestseller with Joe Montana, and author of the new book Embrace Your Inner Coach.

Tom's central argument is deceptively simple:

the gap between good and great is almost never technical. It's psychological. And the tools that work in a locker room work just as well in a boardroom.

Three things to take from this conversation 1. Clarity, the burn, and visualisation — the three pillars of high performance

Elite athletes know exactly where they're going, have an almost visceral hunger to get there, and train their minds to inhabit the goal before it's real. Most executives have at least one of these. Very few have all three. Tom's coaching, in both worlds, starts here.

Coaching isn't fixing

Tom is refreshingly honest about the limits of his role. He could help a benched player process the frustration, sharpen their game, and come back stronger. What he couldn't do — and wouldn't — was lobby the coach for their minutes. If you lead people, this distinction matters enormously.

Journaling is taking a photograph of yourself

Tom has kept journals for over 40 years. He doesn't frame it as a discipline or a ritual — just an occasional record of where you are, what you're thinking, what you're hoping for. For busy executives, that kind of reflective snapshot is often the missing link between activity and actual growth.

Tom's book Embrace Your Inner Coach is available on Amazon. Find him at www.tommitchell.com.

Episode 232

Released April 29, 2026

This week on The Executive Edge, I'm joined by Srimoyee (Sri) Dey, founder of BrandsLumen and an employer brand strategist based in Melbourne. Sri works with leaders to close the gap between what their organisation says it stands for — and what talent actually experiences.

It's a conversation that will make you look at your hiring process very differently.

The big idea: Your employer brand is already being defined — by what you prioritise, what you fund, and what you tolerate. Whether or not you're paying attention to it.

Three things that stood out for me:

The talent shortage may be a messaging problem. With 43% of professionals considering leaving their employer in the next 12 months, the talent is out there. The question is whether your story is compelling enough to attract it.
72% of candidates are researching you before you've even spoken. Glassdoor, LinkedIn, your careers page — they've already formed an opinion. Your employer brand lives there whether you've built it intentionally or not.
Trust is built — or broken — long before an offer is made. Sri introduces a simple diagnostic question every leader should ask: at which point in our hiring process does a candidate feel most seen? Everything else should be built around protecting that moment.

We also talk about what organisations get wrong with AI in hiring, why authentic job descriptions outperform polished ones, and how employee ambassador programmes can extend your reach without spending on ads.

Sri is offering a complimentary 45-minute diagnostic session for leaders facing hiring challenges — and her free Trust & Velocity Blueprint Report is available to download at brandslumen.com.

Episode 231

Released April 16, 2026

About this episode

You know what you want to say. So why doesn't it land? I'm joined by executive communication expert and author Dr. Laura Sicola to unpack the real meaning of executive presence — and why it could be the single biggest factor holding talented leaders back.

We discuss:

The gap between brain and mouth The biggest communication challenge isn't knowledge or expertise — it's the three inches between what you think and what comes out. If your message isn't clear, concise, and compelling to your audience, it doesn't matter how brilliant you are.

The Three Cs of Executive Presence

Command the room — from the moment you walk in (or click Join Meeting)
Connect with your audience — find that point of mutual understanding, whoever you're speaking to
Close the deal — not in a sales sense, but moving things forward and aligning on the next step

Gravitas isn't about being grave Gravitas is a constellation, not a single star. It includes conviction, consistency, and the willingness to speak truth to power — alongside warmth, humour, and humanity. Stone-faced seriousness isn't gravitas. Trustworthiness is.

Your work speaks for itself — but not for you Task execution alone won't get you a seat at the table. You need to voice opinions, show how you think, and demonstrate that you understand what the people at that table are trying to achieve.

Charisma is not being a Tony Robbins Everyone has charisma — it just looks different on each person. Real charisma is about how you make others feel when they're with you. The goal is to tap into that naturally, even when you're feeling the nerves.

The Prismatic Voice Adapting your communication style to different contexts isn't inauthenticity — it's skill. Think of your voice as white light: every colour is already in there. You just choose which one to lead with.

The key takeaway

Credibility comes from alignment — between your words, your voice, and your body language. When all three are in sync, people believe you. When they're not, no amount of expertise will compensate.

Mentioned in this episode

📖 Speaking to Influence: Mastering Your Leadership Voice by Dr. Laura Sicola
🎤 Laura's TEDx talk
🌐 laurasicola.com

The Executive Edge is hosted by Sue Firth, business psychologist and executive coach. If this episode sparked something, share it with a leader who needs to hear it.

_*]:min-w-0 gap-3"> Episode 230 Released April 2, 2026

_*]:min-w-0 gap-3"> In this episode, I sit down with Gemma Borgert — a medical device specialist with over 20 years of industry experience and a deeply personal reason for championing this technology. Gemma introduces the e4life personal, a groundbreaking portable antiviral device that uses electromagnetic waves to inactivate airborne viruses in real time. Whether you're protecting a vulnerable family member, supporting staff reluctant to return to the office, or simply wanting an extra layer of defence against seasonal illness, this conversation will make you think differently about the air around you.

What You'll Learn in This Episode * The story behind the device — how Gemma's husband discovered it at a medical conference in Germany, and why their own experience with cancer treatment made it deeply personal * How the technology works — the patented e4shield™ technology uses electromagnetic waves calibrated to specific frequencies that cause a virus's outer capsid to resonate until it breaks, rendering it unable to infect (think of an opera singer shattering a wine glass — same principle) * The science behind it — independent testing by the Military Polyclinic of Rome, the University of Milan, New York University, and the EU Joint Research Centre, with results published in journals including Nature Scientific Reports and the Journal of Infection * The product range — three devices designed for different environments: the portable e4life personal, the room-based e4life ambient, and the e4life farm for livestock protection * The business case — the cost of absenteeism and presenteeism due to respiratory viruses is quantified at nearly £900 per employee per year, making this a compelling workplace investment * Real-world applications — offices, clinics, dental surgeries, opticians, hospitals, trains, aircraft, and beyond * How it compares to other solutions — unlike HEPA filters, which take 4–5 hours to disinfect a room, e4shield™ works instantly, with no filters to clean or replace

About the e4life Personal The e4life personal is the flagship portable device — small enough to slip into a jacket pocket or handbag, weighing under 50 grams. It activates with a single click, charges overnight via a standard USB-C port, and runs for a full 8-hour working day. It connects to a free iOS and Android app via Bluetooth, letting you monitor battery status, update firmware, and manage sanitisation cycles.

Proven efficacy against:

H1N1 Influenza — 95% inactivation (including the 2024/25 strain)
SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19 (including KP3 variant) — over 90% inactivation
RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) — approximately 90% inactivation

The technology carries CE and SAR certifications, meaning it's safe for use in operating theatres, laboratories, and around sensitive medical equipment. It has lower electromagnetic emissions than a standard mobile phone.

About the e4life Range e4life personal — pocket-sized personal protection on the move. Ideal for public transport, offices, gyms, cinemas, theatres, and anywhere crowds gather. (~£300–£350, one-off cost, 4-year lifespan)

e4life ambient — a fixed wall-mounted unit that neutralises airborne viruses across spaces of up to 50 square metres. Maintenance-free, no filters, plug-in and go. Ideal for offices, clinics, waiting rooms, and schools. (~£800–£900, approximately 10-year lifespan)

e4life farm — designed for livestock environments, protecting animals and farm workers from avian and swine flu viruses in aerosols.

A "Large Spaces" model for conference centres, hotel lobbies, warehouses, and stations is currently in development.

The Company Behind the Technology e4life is a joint venture between Elettronica S.p.A. — one of Europe's leading defence and electronic warfare companies — and Lendlease, the global real estate and infrastructure group. The technology was developed in collaboration with the Italian military, with research and validation conducted across more than a dozen universities and institutions in Italy, the UK, and the US. The science has been published in peer-reviewed journals including Nature, Applied Physics Reviews, and the Journal of Infection.

Key Takeaways * The e4life personal is a one-off investment of approximately £300–£350, lasting four years — potentially cheaper than one disrupted trip abroad * No subscriptions, no consumables, no maintenance — just charge it like your phone * Flexible pricing is available for those who are most vulnerable, including payment plans and free trials * Available across Europe and internationally, including the US — CE and SAR certified * The technology is updatable — it can be recalibrated to target new virus variants as they emerge

Connect with Gemma Borgert * Website: gbhealthtech.co.uk — studies, data, promotional video, and contact form * Email: gemma.borgert@gbhealthtech.co.uk * Product website: e4life.it/en

Episode 229

Released March 19, 2026

Guest: Rebecca Homkes (Economist, Growth Strategist, Lecturer at London Business School & Duke University)

Episode Overview

In this episode, I am joined by economist and growth strategist Rebecca Homkes for a conversation about leading through uncertainty. With macro volatility showing no signs of letting up, Rebecca shares a practical, no-nonsense framework for how executives can stop reacting to the noise — and start growing through it.

Key Themes & Takeaways

Build internal predictability You can't control the macro environment, but you can build an organisation that knows how to adapt. Instead of chasing certainty from outside, focus on creating consistency, clarity, and agility within.

Develop strategic beliefs — not just trend lists Ditch the endless list of environmental trends. Instead, identify 8–15 core strategic beliefs that underpin your decisions. Use these as a tracker — monitoring what affirms or challenges them — so you filter signal from noise rather than drowning in both.

Reframe uncertainty Language matters. When leaders talk about "managing" or "handling" uncertainty, they pre-load it as a threat. Uncertainty is simply a set of future events — some will be opportunities. Organisations that lean into uncertainty as the best environment to learn are the ones that grow through it.

Growth is a loop, not a line Stop expecting a linear path to success. The Survive → Reset → Thrive model acknowledges that leaders will cycle back through phases — and that's not failure, it's the loop working as it should. The reset is the power move.

Focus is a parallel path Fewer priorities, properly resourced, outperform 25 half-funded initiatives every time. But focus alone isn't enough — pair it with a built-in capability for adaptability. That's how you stay nimble without losing momentum.

Shift from answers to questions The executive's role is evolving. The leaders getting ahead right now aren't the ones with all the answers — they're the ones asking the right questions and empowering their teams to find them.

Learning vs teaching organisations As organisations mature, they often confuse sending people to seminars with actually learning. Real learning is active, in the field, and tight — and organisations that learn faster, grow faster.

Book Mentioned

Survive, Reset, Thrive: Breakthrough Growth Strategy in Volatile Times by Rebecca Homkes

An end-to-end playbook for growing through any environment — not just downturns. Especially relevant for leaders navigating tariffs, geopolitical shifts, or any macroeconomic uncertainty.

Find Rebecca 🌐 RebeccaHomkes.com 🌐 SurviveResetThrive.com 💼 LinkedIn: Rebecca Homkes

Episode 228 / Released March 5, 2026

Are you coping, surviving — or actually thriving?

In this episode, I talked with Russell Harvey, speaker and coach, who has spent over a decade helping leaders build the kind of resilience that lasts. His background spans the NHS, BT, and years of leadership development work — and he brings a refreshingly practical lens to a word that can feel overused: resilience.

What We Covered VUCA — and its antidote We unpacked VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) — the environment most of us are operating in right now. Russell introduced me to VUCA Prime: Vision, Understanding, Clarity, and Agility. The counterbalance we all need.

The Resilience Wheel Russell's signature framework covers seven interconnected dimensions:

Attitude — your overall outlook on life
Purpose — resilient people have one
Confidence — your belief, in any given moment, that you can
Adaptability — staying flexible as the world shifts
Support Network — who's in your corner
Meaning — the stories you tell yourself about events
Energy — playing to your strengths (linked to the StrengthScope psychometric)

"Spring forward, not bounce back" Russell reframes resilience brilliantly: it's not about returning to how things were — it's about springing forward with learning. That one landed with me.

Command vs. Control A shift in language that made me sit up: Russell works with leaders to move from trying to control their environment to being in command of it. A subtle but powerful distinction — especially for the control freaks among us (you know who you are).

The three states Russell described the spectrum he watches for in clients — surviving (hanging on by your fingernails), coping ("I'm okay… but"), and thriving ("There's a lot going on — and I'm good"). Which one are you?

Actionable Takeaways * Self-assess your Resilience Wheel today. Score yourself out of 10 on each of the seven dimensions. Where are you strong? Where could you shore things up before you need to rely on it? * Notice your language. How do you answer "How are you?" Your words reveal more than you think. * Don't wait until you're drowning. Proactive resilience building is far more effective than crisis management. * Ditch "bounce back." Ask instead: What did I learn? What do I do differently now?

Connect with Russell 🌐 www.theresiliencecoach.co.uk

As Russell confidently says, search "Russell the Resilience Coach" on any social media platform — he's there.

Episode 227 Released February 19, 2026

With Greg Hawks, Corporate Culture Specialist What if the problem with employee engagement isn't the disengaged — it's the people you've been tolerating?

That's the starting point for this week's conversation with Greg Hawks, corporate culture specialist, keynote speaker, and author of Act Like an Owner: Five Unlocks for Creating Culture People Love and Results People Need. Greg has spent 15 years helping organisations build environments where people genuinely buy in — and his framework is built around three types of employee.

Owners, Renters, and Vandals Greg's model comes from an unlikely place: his own experience as a property investor. Tenants, he noticed, behaved in exactly the same ways as employees.

Owners bring their heart, head, and hands. They're imaginative, invested, and care about outcomes. Greg's view is that everyone starts day one with an owner's mindset — the question is what the organisation does to it from there.

Renters show up, do a decent job, and go home. Gallup's 25 years of data puts this at around 50% of the workforce. These aren't bad people — they've simply learned that going above and beyond doesn't pay off. The environment trained them out of it.

Vandals are the silent saboteurs. The gossips. The ones who say "I knew that was never going to happen" — and then use the failure as proof. They're not just disengaged; they're actively working against forward momentum.

Why Leaders Tolerate Vandals (And Shouldn't) The uncomfortable truth: vandals often survive because they're high revenue generators. Removing them feels risky — and in the short term, it is. But the longer you leave them in place, the more your renters disengage, because they can see that poor behaviour goes unchallenged.

Greg's data-backed case is straightforward: when you deal with vandals, ownership goes up. It takes time to rebuild trust, but the environment shifts.

With renters, the approach is different. Greg talks about creating a "lease purchase option" — helping people find their way back in by connecting the dots between their day-to-day work and what actually matters to them. That's a leadership responsibility, not something most people can do on their own. It comes up particularly in M&A situations, where acquired employees slip into renter mode not because they're poor performers, but because no one's helped them see themselves in the new culture.

Thinking Whole House, Not Just Your Room One of the principles in Greg's book is the idea of "thinking whole house." People live in their departments — their rooms — and it's natural. But rooms only have value as part of a house. When leaders start believing their room matters more than the whole, that's where silos and division take root. The shift Greg advocates is simple but significant: I serve this room, but I'm here for the house.

Your One Takeaway Name your vandals — then act.

Before you focus on re-engaging your renters, look honestly at who in your organisation is working against the culture you're trying to build. The person who never thinks the new initiative will work, and makes sure everyone knows it. The one who operates outside normal expectations because they produce results and you've let it go.

Ask yourself: what does tolerating that behaviour tell everyone else?

You don't need to act overnight. But start by naming it clearly — to yourself first.

Act Like an Owner is available on Amazon in hardback, Kindle, and audiobook — read by Greg. Find him at greghawks.com.

The Executive Edge — practical skills for life and business.

Episode 226 Released February 5, 2026

In this episode, Sue Firth talks with Allister Frost about why cultivating a future-ready mindset is essential for leaders navigating constant change—and how to do it without feeling overwhelmed.

About Allister Frost Allister spent ten years in traditional manufacturing before joining Microsoft, where Bill Gates' philosophy—"If it works, it's obsolete"—transformed his thinking about innovation. For the past 15 years, he has worked as a consultant, speaker and coach, helping individuals and organisations thrive amid relentless transformation. His mission: to save a million working lives from being swept away by the tidal wave of change.

Key Takeaways from the show Everything is obsolete—and that's OK. Every process, system and tool you use today can already be done better, faster or cheaper. This doesn't mean you must change everything immediately; it means you should stop treating anything as the finished product and stay open to improvement.

Technology is a tool, not the driver. Human ingenuity creates change; technology simply accelerates it. Leaders who stay curious about new tools—without chasing every trend—will remain relevant.

Micro behaviours matter. Small daily choices accumulate. Leaving dishes to soak, ignoring software updates, delaying that check-in email—these tiny decisions make tomorrow harder. Future-ready thinking starts with doing something today that makes the inevitable future easier.

Focus on the inevitable, not the uncontrollable. Don't waste energy worrying about hypothetical disruptions. Concentrate on changes you know are coming—seasonal cycles, ageing systems, dated processes—and address them now.

Creativity thrives outside the boardroom. People rarely have their best ideas in meeting rooms. Alastair encourages leaders to sanctify their creative moments—the shower, the dog walk, the morning run—and bring those insights back to work.

The Frost Framework Alastair's Ready-Ready Growth Cycle provides a simple, repeatable process with five steps that spell out his surname:

Follow – Observe trends and notice what's changing around you.

React – Respond thoughtfully rather than reflexively.

Open – Ask "why?" like a five-year-old. Question every assumption without rushing to answer. Why is the Monday meeting always on Monday? Why do we sell this product? Let the questions hang.

Surprise – Let bold, even absurd ideas sit without judgement. Don't kill your own creativity by immediately listing reasons why something won't work. Somewhere in a wild idea might be a stroke of genius.

Tell – Share your ideas with others using "Yes, and…" rather than "No, but…" to build collaboratively.

Open, Surprise and Tell are what Alastair calls superpowers—uniquely human capabilities that AI cannot replicate: genuine curiosity, imaginative leaps and human-to-human connection.

Quotable Moments "Today is the slowest rate of change any of us will experience for the rest of our lives." — Allister Frost

"If it works, it's obsolete." — Marshall McLuhan

"Killing your own idea is probably one of the most damaging things you can do—somewhere in that idea, there might have been something quite amazing." — Allister Frost

Try This: The "Why?" Audit Walk into your workspace as if seeing it for the first time. Ask yourself: Why do we do this? Why is this process the way it is? Why do we hold this meeting? Don't answer immediately—just let the questions open your mind to possibilities you've unconsciously ruled out.

Ready Already - the book Alastair's book Ready Already is deliberately short and practical, with a chapter on each step of the framework plus exercises to get you started. Available on Amazon, Apple Books and Audible.

Connect with Alastair Website: Allisterspeaks.com

Alastair welcomes messages from listeners and is available for speaking engagements at company events, team meetings and industry conferences.

About The Executive Edge The Executive Edge with Sue Firth is the podcast that gives you an edge in life and business—practical skills you can apply to achieve and maintain success.

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Episode 225

Released January 22, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, I'm joined by Maria Brinck, leadership consultant, public speaker, and author of The Leadership We Need. Maria shares her remarkable journey from corporate America to the rainforests of Cameroon, and explains why the leadership models we've relied upon for generations are no longer fit for purpose. This is an essential conversation for any leader ready to challenge conventional thinking and create meaningful, lasting change.

About Maria Brinck

Maria Brinck is the founder of Zynergy International and a certified StrengthsFinder coach with a background that spans Swedish nature reserves, corporate boardrooms, and the Congo Basin Rainforest. Originally from Sweden, Maria spent eight years in executive sales within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry before a pivotal moment prompted her to leave it all behind. She travelled to Cameroon to work with the rehabilitation of chimpanzees and gorillas, an experience that fundamentally transformed her understanding of leadership, purpose, and what truly matters.

Key Takeaways from This Episode

Finding inner balance: Maria discusses how, despite achieving external success, she felt a profound lack of inner balance in her corporate career. Many high-achieving professionals can relate to this sense that something essential is missing, even when the numbers look good on paper.

The limits of hyper-masculine leadership: The conversation explores how workplaces dominated by competition, decisiveness without reflection, and quota-driven cultures can become unsustainable. Maria argues this isn't about men versus women—it's about finding balance between masculine and feminine qualities in all of us.

Creating (not finding) purpose: Maria offers a refreshing perspective on purpose. Rather than waiting to 'find' your purpose—which she suggests is only for the lucky few—she encourages leaders to actively create purpose based on their strengths and values.

Incentivising the right behaviours: Want to shift your organisation's culture? Maria's practical advice is clear: put collaborative, inclusive behaviours on performance plans with financial incentives attached. Use 360-degree feedback to ensure these behaviours are genuinely being demonstrated.

Practical assessments for teams: Maria's book includes three assessments that can be used individually or with teams, including the Barrett Value Assessment and her own Zenergy Q12 for creating purpose. A powerful question to consider: Where do you feel most alive?

Why This Matters for Leaders Today

With global workforce engagement at just 23% and disengagement costing trillions annually, the case for a new approach to leadership has never been stronger. Maria challenges us to move beyond outdated models built on dominance and short-term thinking, towards leadership that serves both people and planet. Whether you're leading a team of five or five hundred, the principles in this episode offer a genuine path to creating cultures where people thrive.

Connect with Maria Brinck

🌐 Website: www.mariabrinck.com

💼 LinkedIn: Maria Brinck

📚 Book: The Leadership We Need is available on Amazon and all major online bookshops

Done! I've updated the show notes so they read from Sue's perspective ("I'm joined by...") and removed the "Don't Miss This Episode" section.

Done! I've updated the show notes so they read from Sue's perspective ("I'm joined by...") and removed the "Don't iss This Episode" section.

Episode 224

Released January 8, 2026

This week I'm joined by James Gardner, a fellow Vistage member who's been on quite a journey – from building a manufacturing business with his brother over nearly two decades, through its sale, to running a funeral director businesses in Kent. James now mentors business owners through acquisitions, post-acquisition challenges, and the transition out of businesses.

What struck me most was James's honesty about the emotional reality of selling a business. We hear the success stories – the champagne corks, the celebration – but rarely what comes next.

James opens up about what he describes as the worst 18 months of his life, despite having more money in the bank than ever before.

From Dressing Table to International Business James's story begins around 2000, when his brother spotted a gap in the market. His first few days in business were spent at his sister-in-law's dressing table with a laptop and a fax machine. From there, they moved to a leaky farm building, then a garden shed they'd insulated themselves.

They grew internationally, with James flying to their US operation 13 times in one year. These things sound glamorous but really aren't, he reflects – time away from family, friends, and other opportunities. But they worked hard, treated people well, and delivered on every promise.

The Sale – and What Came After When the right buyer came along – one who could preserve jobs and accelerate their plans – the brothers took the leap. They were lucky to be on the same page; family partnerships often break down.

James stayed on after the sale through a gentleman's agreement. Senior positions were promised. The reality didn't match the brochure.

The first 6 to 18 months were the unhappiest of his life. He had more money than ever, yet felt imprisoned. The golden handcuffs, as he calls them – yes, they're gold, but you're still handcuffed.

What resonated with me was his reflection on control. When you've built something, oversight and strategy flow through you. Then suddenly, that stops. You may be mentally ready to hand over, but are you emotionally prepared? As James put it: 'You're literally handing your baby over to somebody else to raise, whilst you're still in the room.'

Rolling the Dice Again Things eventually improved, and James went on to run the larger UK department. But he asked himself: do I want to do this for another 25 years, or roll the dice?

In 2019, he chose to move on. Wanting something recession-proof, he remembered working as a trainee funeral director years earlier and approached that same business owner. Ten days after signing in March 2020, the country went into lockdown. He now runs four funeral directors in Kent.

Key Insights It's people, people, people. Treat your team well first. Then your customers. Then – and this often gets forgotten – your suppliers. When something goes wrong, you want to be at the top of their list.

Plan your exit properly. A short handover works better than staying on indefinitely. And if you don't have a plan for life after the sale, the sudden absence of purpose can be devastating.

Communication is everything. The root cause of most relationship breakdowns is communication. Having someone in your corner to sound-check decisions is invaluable.

Connect with James James now mentors business owners through acquisitions, post-acquisition challenges, and the transition out of businesses.

Website: amazing3dgoals.com (that's the number 3)
LinkedIn: James Gardner
Youtube: Amazing Leaders

James's story reminds us that business people are not immune. We have highbrow ideas about building something, but we're not always ready to let it go. The sale can look like the ultimate success, but the emotional journey is far more complex than the financial transaction.

Ready to be a better you in 2026? Is something troubling you? Playing on your mind or feels as if it's stuck somehow? Are you tired of problems that you can't seem to solve? Or are you at a crossroads because things just aren't the way you want at work or maybe in the home?

Does it feel like a struggle?

Do you have unrealistic pressures on you?
Are there many issues, but you aren't sure what to do first.
Or do you need to get your head clear so that you can focus?

Whether things just aren't going right, or you're struggling with a specific problem, I can help. Through 1-on-1 meetings, (whether face to face, or online), I build a better you.

But I aim to do so in 3 sessions, or less. My focus is always on delivering results quickly.

To learn more, just reach out and we can set up a time for a free exploratory call to discuss how I could help you.

Episode 223 Released December 11, 2025

Guest: Alejandra Ramirez, Founder of Ready Cultures

Episode Overview In this episode, Sue is joined by Alejandra Ramirez, an internal communications specialist with nearly 20 years of experience helping service-driven businesses shape their culture from the inside out. Together, they explore why so many organisations struggle to turn their values into lived reality—and what leaders can do about it.

The Culture Gap We've all seen it: values proudly displayed on office walls that bear little resemblance to how things actually work day-to-day. Alejandra explains that whilst companies often start with the best intentions when defining their vision and values, they frequently forget to bridge the gap between what leadership wants to say and how employees actually receive it.

The cost of this disconnect shows up in ways that aren't always traced back to culture—high turnover, low engagement, internal politics, and slower decision-making. As Alejandra puts it, "Your culture is only as strong as your communication."

The 3-H Framework To help leaders communicate more effectively, Alejandra introduces her 3-H Framework: Head, Heart, and Hands.

Head – Is your message clear? Do people understand what's happening and have access to the facts they need?

Heart – Does it connect emotionally? Have you explained why this matters to them personally and to the success of the organisation?

Hands – Is there a clear call to action? Do people know exactly what they need to do differently as a result?

Alejandra shares a real-world example where a company had launched a valuable internal tool, but without strategic communication around it, the tool simply sat unused. By auditing where the breakdowns were and applying the 3-H Framework, she helped them successfully relaunch with far greater adoption.

Crisis-Proofing Your Culture Sue and Alejandra also discuss the importance of what Alejandra calls "crisis-proofing"—building strong communication habits during good times so that when challenges arise, your people are already primed to listen and trust what you're telling them.

The conversation touches on those uncomfortable "undercurrents" that exist in many workplaces—the new competitor being built down the road that everyone can see but nobody's discussing. Alejandra emphasises that people aren't stupid; they notice what's being avoided. Leaders who address these elephants in the room, rather than hoping they'll go unnoticed, build far stronger trust with their teams.

The Hidden Cost of Poor Communication One of the most striking points in this episode is the hidden cost of cultural breakdown. As Sue notes, by the time a valued, long-standing employee hands in their notice, they've usually been mentally leaving for quite some time. The institutional knowledge they take with them is often irreplaceable.

Even high achievers will burn out and leave if the goalposts keep shifting and there's no clarity on how to get from A to B. Process, she reminds us, is communication—and without clear, consistent processes, productivity and morale both suffer.

Key Takeaways Internal communication isn't just meetings and memos—it's a leadership skill that turns strategy into action and values into lived culture. Whilst many organisations invest heavily in external PR and messaging, the same rigour is rarely applied internally. Getting this right consistently can be the edge that sets your organisation apart.

Connect with Alejandra Ramirez Website: readycultures.com – Download the 3-H Framework workbook directly from the homepage LinkedIn: Alejandra Ramirez-Wells Email: alejandra@readycultures.com

Thank you for listening to The Executive Edge. If you found this episode valuable, please subscribe and share it with a fellow leader who could benefit.

Episode 222

Released November 27, 2025

Audio Quality Note Please note: Due to technical difficulties with the host's microphone during recording, Sue's audio quality is below our usual standard. We've chosen to release this episode despite these challenges because the conversation offers valuable insights that we believe are too important to delay. We appreciate your understanding and patience.

Episode Overview In this conversation, Swedish-born CEO and leadership coach Andreas Pettersson shares his transformative approach to leadership that prioritizes emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and sustainable success over relentless hustle culture. Drawing from his experience leading tech companies to successful exits and his work coaching executives across the globe, Andreas challenges conventional wisdom about what it takes to be an effective leader in today's business environment.

Key Topics Discussed Work-Life Harmony vs. Work-Life Balance

Why the traditional 9-to-5 model no longer reflects modern work reality
The concept of "work-life harmony" and flowing in and out of work naturally
Breaking free from guilt about checking emails after hours
Compartmentalizing effectively to reduce stress

Cultural Perspectives on Leadership

Differences between European and American work cultures
Why Europeans often achieve more in fewer hours
The role of social safety nets in reducing fear-based motivation
Adapting leadership styles across different cultural contexts

From Fear-Based to Abundance Mindset

Moving beyond the "insecure overachiever" mentality
Why imposter syndrome might be the wrong label
The importance of recognizing your daily achievements
Building genuine confidence through self-awareness

The Power of Emotional Intelligence

Why growing people creates growing organizations
Understanding your inner child's influence on leadership decisions
The role of vulnerability as a leadership strength
Developing curiosity about your own behavioral patterns

Sustainable High Performance

Setting realistic daily expectations based on your unique strengths
The practice of journaling wins to build momentum
Why working harder isn't the same as working effectively
Recognizing when you've "crushed it" and celebrating those moments

Key Insights "If you're not growing your people, you are not going to grow your organization."

"I think so many people let that insecure part be the narrative of who they were as a child. Instead, when you recognize that's what you're doing to yourself, you can change it."

"Vulnerability is a power. Once you can admit these things and you can talk about them, you are able to control yourself."

"It's not about the number of hours you put in. Europeans are more effective—it's a little bit less fluff and a little bit more 'let's get shit done.'"

About Andreas Pettersson Andreas is a Swedish entrepreneur and leadership coach based in California. After a successful career as a tech CEO, including a lucrative exit where he was asked to stay on for two years, Andreas chose to follow his passion for developing other leaders. Through his company, Leaders Adapt, he works with entrepreneurs and executives to help them build the emotional intelligence and self-awareness needed to lead effectively without burning out.

Andreas's approach combines his international business experience across Europe, Asia, and the United States with deep personal work on overcoming fear-based leadership patterns. His mission is to help leaders transition from insecure overachievers to confident, emotionally intelligent executives who achieve sustainable success.

Connect with Andreas Pettersson Instagram: @andreas.the.ceo (Andreas personally responds to all messages) Website: Leaders Adapt LinkedIn: Andreas Pettersson

Andreas welcomes questions and often responds with personalized voice memos. He also publishes leadership insights and solutions to common executive challenges on his blog.

Coming Soon from Andreas Andreas is developing free leadership kcourses based on his 12 core leadership principles, which is available on YouTube . These courses address the most common patterns and challenges he encounters when working with executives.

Takeaways for Business Executives 1. Reframe your definition of productivity – Focus on delivering your unique value rather than maximizing hours worked 2. Develop your emotional intelligence – True leadership effectiveness comes from understanding yourself and adapting to others 3. Identify your inner narratives – Recognize when childhood conditioning or others' voices are driving your decisions 4. Celebrate your wins daily – Build momentum and confidence by acknowledging when you've "crushed it" 5. Embrace work-life harmony – Stop feeling guilty about natural work flow and focus on compartmentalizing effectively 6. Get curious about yourself – Self-awareness and vulnerability are strengths, not weaknesses 7. Shift from fear to abundance – Let your achievements build confidence rather than letting insecurity drive overwork

Episode 221

Released November 13, 2025

Guest: Ted Santos, Business Strategist and Founder of Turnaround Investment Partners

In this episode, I sat down with Ted Santos, a business strategist who has pioneered a disruptive leadership model that challenges how executives think about change, adversity, and organisational transformation. Ted's approach isn't just theoretical – it's forged from personal experience that would break most people.

The Power of Early Adversity

Ted's story begins with tragedy. At just 21, he lost his mother and found himself responsible for his younger siblings. What could have been paralysing became transformative. As we explored in our conversation, the resilience, problem-solving abilities, and capacity to navigate chaos that he developed during those formative years became the foundation for his unique approach to business transformation.

What struck me most was Ted's insight that these skills didn't emerge at 21 – they'd been building since he was six years old. This revelation opens up fascinating questions about how early challenges shape our leadership capabilities and our ability to thrive in disruption.

Uncovering Blind Spots

At the heart of Ted's methodology is identifying blind spots – those limiting beliefs and mental barriers that organisations don't even know they have. He shared a compelling example: before Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile in 1956, it was considered humanly impossible. Today, a 15-year-old in New Zealand has achieved it. The barrier wasn't physical; it was perceptual.

This principle applies directly to business. Ted's work with Turnaround Investment Partners focuses on helping organisations recognise where they've unconsciously set limits. When a sales team insists they "can't sell to CEOs" or when leadership assumes certain transformations are impossible, these aren't facts – they're unexamined beliefs masquerading as reality.

The Business Case for Personal Wellbeing

One unexpected revelation in our conversation was about workplace productivity and divorce. Ted explained that organisations lose £300 billion annually in productivity when employees navigate divorce, with individual productivity dropping 50-75%. I found this particularly resonant, having experienced it myself – missing opportunities because I simply didn't have the bandwidth to respond.

This connection led us to discuss Ted's book, Here's Why You Can't Find Love. Whilst it might seem tangential to business strategy, it addresses a critical blind spot: organisations can't afford to ignore the personal challenges their people face. These challenges directly impact performance, innovation, and growth.

The Role of Leadership in Transformation

Drawing on the principles of Edward Deming, Ted emphasised that meaningful organisational change must begin at the top. Deming famously refused to work with companies whose CEOs wouldn't personally engage in the transformation process. Ted applies this same rigour.

The logic is compelling: if leadership harbours blind spots about what's possible, if they misdiagnose problems (blaming the sales team when the issue lies in strategic perception), then no amount of intervention at lower levels will create lasting change. Transformation requires leaders who are willing to examine their own limiting beliefs first.

Chaos as Catalyst

Perhaps the most counterintuitive aspect of Ted's approach is his relationship with chaos. Whilst most consultants promise to solve problems, Ted jokes that he creates them. This isn't flippancy – it's recognition that disruption, properly managed, brings out the best in people and organisations.

As Ted noted, the entire universe emerged from the chaos of the Big Bang. Chaos isn't the end of possibility; it's often the beginning. The question isn't whether your organisation will face disruption, but whether you've developed the mental frameworks, emotional resilience, and cultural accountability t o transform it into opportunity.

Practical Takeaways for Executives

For busy executives, Ted's message is clear: your perceived limitations are often more constraining than actual reality. Whether you're facing market disruption, organisational change, or personal challenges, the pathway forward begins with identifying your blind spots and reframing what you believe is possible.

This isn't about positive thinking – it's about neuroplasticity, intentional perspective shifts, and building cultures of accountability and calculated risk-taking.

Connect with Ted Santos:

Email: tsantos@turnaroundip.com - LinkedIn: Ted Santos - Book: Here's Why You Can't Find Love (available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble)

Episode 220

Released 2025-10-30

Building Your Resilience Plan with Dr. Marie-Hélène Pelletier Guest: Dr. Marie-Hélène Pelletier, Workplace Mental Health Expert, Psychologist, and Speaker

If you're a busy, I suspect you've already spotted yourself in this scenario: demands are increasing, deadlines are looming, and your natural response is to lean in harder, work longer hours, and push through with the same tools that have got you here.

In this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Marie-Hélène Pelletier to unpack why this instinct—whilst understandable—is precisely what leads high-performing professionals straight to burnout. And more importantly, we explore what you might do instead.

The Dangerous Pattern Every Executive Should Recognise Here's an uncomfortable truth that Marie-Hélène lays out with refreshing clarity: successful professionals are fabulous at what they do, and that's precisely why they're at risk. You've built your career on handling demanding hours, exceeding expectations, and pushing through challenges. But here's what's happening behind the scenes that you might not realise.

When demands increase, we systematically make two critical errors in judgement. First, we underestimate the size and depth of those demands. That project you think will take half an hour? Three hours later, you're still at it. We minimise the scope, underestimate the likelihood that other demands will pile on simultaneously, and fundamentally misjudge what's ahead.

Second, and this is where it gets really interesting, we overestimate our supply. We overestimate how much energy we have, how much time is available, and how much capacity we're working with. Put these two biases together—underestimating demand while overestimating supply—and of course you're going to put your head down and just power through. In your mind, you can handle it. But the math doesn't work out that way in reality.

The One-Minute Solution You Can Start Today Marie-Hélène offers a practical starting point that bypasses the usual resistance executives have to "stepping back." She knows what you're thinking: "I haven't got time to step back for half an hour and think about this strategically. I need to get it done now."

So here's her challenge: take one minute. Literally, set a timer on your phone for 60 seconds and allow yourself to step back. What often happens in that single minute is you realize, "Oh, I actually should step back for five minutes, and now I understand why it's worth making that time." That brief pause gives you enough visibility to see the benefit of proper planning, and suddenly the investment makes sense.

Think about it this way: you'd never tell someone to handle a major work situation with only 10% visibility. You'd demand full information before making decisions. Yet when it comes to your own workload and capacity, you're operating on minimal visibility, making assumptions, and hoping it works out. It's time to dial up that visibility from a one out of ten to a ten out of ten.

Why You Keep Doing It Yourself (And Why That Needs to Change) There's another pattern Marie-Hélène and I identify that hits close to home for many executives. You love action. You take quick ownership. You have genuine accountability. And you've spent years building deep expertise that makes you incredibly capable.

But here's the catch: doing it yourself was the premise behind how you got to where you are. In your earlier career, your success was built on personal execution, on being the one who could handle it all. As you've moved into leadership, that instinct hasn't fully shifted. So when something needs to be done, your first thought is still, "I'll just do it myself. It'll be faster, better, done right."

This isn't stupidity—it's a skill that hasn't evolved with your role. And while you know intellectually that you should be delegating and empowering your team, in the moment, when pressure hits, you default to what you know: doing it yourself.

Marie-Hélène points out that this creates a rather interesting paradox. As a leader, you know it's not good leadership to take everything on yourself. But your brain is protecting you because it sees the consequence of delegation: it takes time to explain, to teach, to hand over, and to manage the risk that it might not be done as well. In high-pressure moments, your brain calculates that doing it yourself is the lower-risk option. Understanding this mechanism is the first step to changing it.

The Project Manager Mindset: A Useful Reframe Here's a practical reframe that can transform how you approach overwhelming workloads. Put on your project manager hat. Most executives have worked with project managers and, as Marie-Hélène says, "Thank God for project managers!" They're the ones keeping everyone on track.

What would a project manager do if you brought them this "simple half-hour task" you're about to dive into? They'd sit you down and say, "Wait a second. Let's actually map this out. This component will take a full day. This part requires this specific resource for three hours. This depends on input from two other departments who are in back-to-back meetings this week."

Suddenly, your half-hour task has turned into something far more substantial. And yes, you'll probably hate this process at first because you're thinking, "I don't have time to plan—I need to just do it!" But that's exactly the point. Without that planning, you're setting yourself up for exhaustion and suboptimal outcomes.

The Hard Truth About Putting Yourself on the List I share a story from my own practice in this episode: a senior leader once pushed back on the idea of putting himself at the top of his priority list, calling it "dishonest." This reveals something critical about how executives think about self-care and personal wellbeing.

There's often a fundamental struggle with making decisions that prioritise your own needs. The investment in yourself—whether that's rest, exercise, time with family, or simply stepping away to recharge—feels somehow less legitimate than the urgent demands of work. But here's what Marie-Hélène and I both emphasise: if you're depleted, overtired, and running on empty, your decision-making suffers. Your effectiveness plummets. You're not actually serving anyone well, including your organisation.

Marie-Hélène goes on to introduce a concept from her book that's particularly helpful here: the DNA model of personal and professional life. She uses the visual of a double helix, where the two strands represent your personal side and your work side, with rungs connecting them throughout. The point? Our lives don't have lanes. There isn't a "personal lane" separate from a "work lane." Emotions don't have lanes. Your energy doesn't have lanes.

If what allows you to maintain a fresh brain and do your best work is going for a walk in the middle of the day, then that's what needs to happen. As a leader, this might be the strongest message you can send to your team—that investing in yourself is not only acceptable but essential for sustained high performance.

The "Guilt Over Burnout" Approach And if you're feeling guilty about prioritising yourself? Marie-Hélène has a refreshingly direct response: "Too bad. Feel guilty if you need to. That's actually easier to treat than burnout. Burnout takes a bit longer to recover from."

This has become something of a mantra for the teams she works with. When someone can't make a meeting because they're taking care of themselves, they simply say, "Guilt over burnout—I'm going skiing." It's a shorthand that acknowledges the discomfort whilst reinforcing the greater truth: protecting yourself from burnout is worth the temporary guilt.

This is especially important for senior leaders who set the culture for their organisations. If you want your team to feel psychologically safe, if you want them to be honest about their capacity and their needs, you have to model it yourself. The strongest message isn't what you say in meetings—it's what you actually do with your own time and boundaries.

Staying Curious: The Gateway to Better Decisions Marie-Hélène offers one final piece of guidance that ties everything together: stay curious. If all you do is become more curious about the demands you're facing—not trying to fix everything, not implementing a whole new system—just increasing your visibility on what's actually in front of you, that alone will unlock better decisions.

The comparison is striking: you would never approach a significant business challenge and say, "I only want about 10% visibility on this situation. Don't give me any useful information." That would be absurd. Yet when it comes to your own workload, your capacity, and the demands on your time and energy, that's often exactly the level of visibility you're operating with.

Turn up the dial. Get curious about what's really required. Stop making assumptions about how long things will take or how much energy you have available. This increased visibility naturally leads to better planning, better delegation, and better decisions about where to invest your limited resources.

About Dr. Marie-Hélène Pelletier Dr. Marie-Hélène (MH) Pelletier is one of the rare workplace mental health experts who holds both a PhD in Psychology and an MBA, both from the University of British Columbia. She brings a unique combination of psychological research and business strategy that she's developed over 20 years in leadership roles—from managing call centers to serving as a chief officer in both private and public sectors.

For nearly a decade, she's focused on keynote speaking, executive coaching, and maintaining a psychology practice working with professionals and leaders. Her approach is distinguished by how she bridges two worlds: what we know from research in psychology and the strategic principles we use in business. The result is a practical, strategic approach to resilience that executives can actually implement.

Get The Resilience Plan Book The Resilience Plan: A Strategic Approach to Optimizing Your Work Performance and Mental Health is Dr. Pelletier's award-winning book that puts information and power directly in your hands as a professional or leader.

The book provides a framework combining business strategy, psychology, and workplace psychological health. By the end, you'll have a custom individual resilience plan that gives you the edge you need both at work and at home.

Where to Get It:

Support your local bookstore: Ask them to order it if they don't have it in stock
Major online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Indigo, Books-A-Million
Audiobook: Available on Audible (narrated by Dr. Pelletier herself, accent and all!)

Book Website: https://drmarie-helene.com/the-resilience-plan/

Bonus: When you purchase the book, you can access free resilience planner worksheets and accompanying video to help you start building your plan immediately.

Connect with Dr. Pelletier * Website: https://drmarie-helene.com * The Resilience Plan: https://theresilienceplan.com * LinkedIn: Connect with Dr. Pelletier on LinkedIn to continue the conversation

Free Resources: Dr. Pelletier offers free worksheets from her book that are self-explanatory and can be used independently or alongside the book. These are available for yourself, your team, or even to share with family members.

Key Takeaways for Busy Executives The Core Problem: When demands increase, we underestimate the depth of those demands whilst overestimating our capacity to handle them. This mismatch leads straight to burnout.

The One-Minute Solution: Haven't got time to plan? Start with just 60 seconds. Set a timer. That brief pause often reveals why five minutes of planning is worth the investment.

The Delegation Challenge: Your instinct to "just do it yourself" served you well earlier in your career, but it's holding you back now. Recognising that your brain is trying to protect you helps, but the real risk is not delegating.

The Project Manager Mindset: Map out what really needs to happen before diving in. What feels like a 30-minute task is often a multi-day project once you properly assess it.

The Guilt Question: Guilt over taking care of yourself is easier to manage than burnout. Feel guilty if you need to, but still do what you need to do.

The Visibility Imperative: You'd never operate with 10% visibility on a major business issue. Stop doing it with your own workload and capacity.

The Cultural Impact: As a leader, your behaviour sets the standard. Modelling self-investment creates psychological safety for your entire team.

I encourage you to listen to this episode more than once. Share it with your leadership team if you think it might be helpful. And perhaps most importantly, take that first one-minute pause to assess what's really on your plate.

The Executive Edge is a podcast I host as a business psychologist dedicated to providing practical skills that help you achieve and maintain success in both life and business.

Episode 219 Released 2025-10-16

Guest: John Gates, Founder of Salary Coach

Episode Summary I sit down with veteran recruiter John Gates, who shares over 30 years of insider knowledge on salary negotiation. With 75,000+ job offers under his belt, John reveals why 80% of people don't negotiate at all—and how much money they're leaving on the table. This episode is packed with practical techniques you can use immediately to maximize your compensation.

Key Takeaways Why People Don't Negotiate

Fear of losing the opportunity trumps everything else
Most people lowball themselves at the first pay discussion
The fear multiplies 10x when the actual offer arrives

The Three Options When Asked About Salary

Give a number (usually a mistake)
Refuse to answer (risky—you might get bounced)
Use a range (the smart play)

Secret Techniques Revealed

Turn the question around: "What's your budget for the position?"
Master the 8-10 second silence after asking
Use overlapping ranges to avoid painting yourself into a corner
Remember: Their "top" number is never really the top

The Current Job Market Reality

White-collar recession hitting hard in the US
Unprecedented layoffs combined with AI emergence
Resume gaps are creating unfair bias against talented candidates
Employers missing opportunities with loyal, hungry talent

Memorable Quotes from John: "I set a goal to cover my annual salary every month in negotiation savings with candidates. I hit that goal most of the time."

"If you said 'I want £200,000,' they're going to offer you £200,000. What if they could have offered you £240,000? You just left £40,000 on the table."

"A great negotiation should be a collaboration that improves your relationships on the way in instead of damaging them."

Resources Book: Act Your Wage and How to Get It by John Gates (available on Amazon)

Connect with John: Linkedin

The Executive Edge: Practical skills you can apply to achieve and maintain success in life and business.

Episode 218 Released 2025-10-02 Episode Overview In this episode of The Executive Edge, host Sue Firth sits down with confidence coach and entrepreneur Tara Lafon Gooch to discuss building authentic confidence, personal branding, and the transformative power of gratitude. Tara shares her journey from corporate burnout to becoming a TEDx speaker, author, and CEO, offering practical strategies for anyone looking to step into their power and purpose.

Key Topics Discussed From Corporate Success to Personal Fulfillment

Tara's 2022 turning point as a corporate sales director
The difference between external success and internal fulfillment
Recognizing when it's time for transformation

The Foundation of Confidence

How childhood experiences shape our confidence levels
The seed analogy: understanding your inherent purpose and potential
Why external validation isn't enough for lasting confidence

The GRASP Method

Gratitude: Rewiring your brain and taking control of your internal environment
Responsibility: Developing an ownership mentality
Action: Moving from theory to application
Sight: The power of visualization and seeing your future self
Purpose: Aligning with your natural strengths and fulfillment

Building Your Personal Brand

Overcoming the fear of visibility and judgment
Why consistency matters more than perfection
The "one moonshot a day" philosophy

The TEDx Journey

Landing a TEDx talk before publishing her book
Choosing ideas with global resonance
How TEDx became a launching pad for bigger opportunities

Practical Takeaways * Start and end each day with gratitude to bookend your life in thankful acknowledgment * Use "ninja mindset moves" to interrupt negative thought patterns * Take one daring action every single day (365 moonshots = guaranteed results) * Control your internal environment first when external circumstances feel overwhelming * Remember: You can't be what you can't see—visualization is essential

Key Quotes "Without that contrast of darkness, it can be hard to appreciate and have perspective," - Tara

"If I was to give you 10 million today but you're not going to wake up tomorrow, you don't care so much about 10 million. Every single day you wake up, you won the lottery." - Tara

"An ounce of doing is worth more than a pound of theorizing." - Wallace D. Wattles

"You can't be what you can't see." - Marian Wright Edelman

"You don't need anybody else; you just need you. You have all the tools and purpose within you already." - Tara

About Tara Lafong Gooch Tara is a confidence coach, TEDx speaker, author, and CEO of Best Branding Solutions. She helps authors, speakers, and thought leaders build their personal brands through coaching, podcasting, and speaking engagements. Her upcoming book focuses on confidence in leadership, applying the GRASP method to team development.

Connect with Tara * Website: TaraLaFonGooch.com * LinkedIn: Available for connection (self-proclaimed frequent user!) * Social Media: YouTube, Facebook * Company: Best Branding Solutions

Resources Mentioned * TEDx Nottingham talk on confidence and gratitude * Book: How to deliver and market a TEDx talk * Upcoming book: Confidence in Leadership (using the GRASP method) * The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles (1910)

The Executive Edge provides practical skills you can apply to achieve and maintain success in life and business.

Episode 217

Released September 18, 2025

Guest: Jose Berlanga - From Trauma to Triumph: Building Multiple Successful Businesses Website: https://joseberlanga.com

Episode Overview In this episode, Sue Firth interviews Jose Berlanga, a Houston-based entrepreneur who has built success across multiple industries despite facing significant early-life challenges. From overcoming severe childhood trauma to creating thriving businesses in real estate, construction, food service, and petrochemicals, Jose shares his unique perspective on entrepreneurship, resilience, and the art of building successful partnerships.

Key Topics Discussed Overcoming Early Challenges * Childhood trauma and severe burns that shaped Jose's resilient mindset * Learning difficulties including ADD, dyslexia, and anxiety * How Jose transformed perceived weaknesses into entrepreneurial strengths * The power of looking beyond immediate problems toward solutions

The Entrepreneurship Mindset * Why Jose considers himself a "deal maker" rather than an inventor * The importance of understanding your role in the business world * Building reputation through accountability and hard work * The difference between dreaming about success and taking action

Business Strategy & Partnership * Why partnerships are crucial in today's fast-paced business environment * The art of assembling teams with complementary skills * How Jose attracted partners by establishing credibility early on * Building "much bigger companies" through strategic collaboration

Key Success Principles * Diversified Skill Requirements: Modern executives need knowledge across sales, marketing, legal, finance, distribution, and psychology * Time Management: Treating different business departments like children who need equal attention * Avoiding Common Pitfalls: The danger of focusing only on areas you're good at while neglecting others * Purpose Over Profit: Why passion and mission matter more than financial motivation alone

Learning from Failure * Jose's honest discussion about multiple business failures * Why success requires perfect alignment of many factors (timing, team, market, concept) * The critical importance of understanding your "why" in any venture * How lack of passion and purpose leads to failure

Current Projects & Future Vision * Transitioning from day-to-day operations to mentorship and writing * Published Work: "The Business of Home Building" (available now) * Upcoming Release: "Dirt Rich" (launching soon) * In Progress: "Quantum Entrepreneurship" (expected later this year)

Notable Quotes from Jose "I'm a proponent of turning bad things into opportunities."

"You cannot teach people to want things... you cannot convince someone to become ambitious; that has to come from you."

"Success means that a lot of things had to align and all these stars had to work together in harmony."

"Most of my failures in my career were due to my lack of understanding why I was doing what I was doing."

"Life is a mathematical problem, an ongoing equation where it never ends, and it shouldn't end."

Key Takeaways for Listeners 1. Identify Your Business Role: Understand whether you're an inventor, technician, financial expert, or team builder 2. Embrace Strategic Partnerships: Success is rarely a solo journey in today's business environment 3. Balance Multiple Priorities: Give equal attention to all business areas, not just your strengths 4. Lead with Purpose: Passion and mission must drive business decisions, with profit as a natural consequence 5. View Failure as Education: Every setback provides valuable lessons for future success 6. Never Stop Reinventing: Continuous learning and growth are essential throughout your career

Resources Mentioned * Books by Jose Berlanga:

+ "The Business of Home Building" (Available now)
+ "Dirt Rich" (Coming soon)
+ "Quantum Entrepreneurship" (In development)

Guest Website: https://joseberlanga.com

Connect with The Executive Edge For more episodes featuring practical business skills and inspiring success stories, subscribe to The Executive Edge with Sue Firth.

Note: Jose Berlanga will return later this year to discuss his upcoming book "Quantum Entrepreneurship" in greater detail.

Released September 4, 2025 | Episode 216 Episode Summary In this episode of The Executive Edge, host Sue Firth sits down with leadership and strategic change advisor Dan Roberts to explore the critical human element of organizational transformation. Drawing from extensive experience in change management and organizational development, Dan shares practical strategies for helping companies navigate change successfully while maintaining team engagement and momentum.

Guest Bio Dan Roberts is a leadership and strategic change advisor with a background in behavioral psychology and business. His career has focused on helping companies achieve genuine growth through effective change management. Dan is the founder of Impactful Performance and author of "Optimize Your Leadership: An Impactful and Healthy Way to Lead in the New Age."

Key Takeaways The Foundation of Successful Change * Change management is fundamentally about the people side of change, not just technology and processes * Companies often know what they want to achieve but struggle with how to get there * Success requires asking the right questions rather than having all the answers

The "Slow Down to Speed Up" Principle * Organizations need to be intentional and strategic about change implementation * Creating a structured plan and process optimizes conditions for success * Avoiding the rush to implement prevents setting up for failure

Essential Elements of Change Management 1. Clear Communication: Explain the "why" behind changes, not just the "what" 2. Resource Assessment: Ensure people, processes, and technology are in place 3. Risk Management: Identify barriers and resistance points early 4. Roadmap Creation: Develop step-by-step plans people can understand 5. Training & Support: Provide adequate preparation and ongoing assistance

Making Change Less Scary * Connect changes to existing pain points that employees recognize * Frame changes to show "what's in it for them" (WIIFM) * Use peer-to-peer champions rather than top-down mandates * Introduce changes in digestible, bite-sized chunks * Pilot programs can help problem-solve before full rollout

Leadership in Uncertain Times * Focus on what you can control vs. the macro environment * Create a calm, even-keeled leadership presence amid chaos * Use the "win the day" approach: plan the work, work the plan * Think in project-based cycles rather than rigid long-term plans * Maintain focus on immediate, actionable steps while keeping the vision clear

The Power of Language * How you phrase messages determines how they're received * Use softer language (e.g., "fluid" instead of "volatile") * Ensure consistent messaging across all leadership * Balance transparency with avoiding unnecessary alarm

Memorable Quotes * "It's not about having the answers. It's are we asking the right questions?" * "You have to slow down to speed up" * "Plan the work, work the plan, don't plan the results" * "Looking too far in the future is anxiety, and looking in the past is depression"

Action Items for Leaders * Conduct strategic planning sessions focused on your unit's value to the organization * Develop clear, consistent talking points for all leaders to use * Identify and empower peer champions within teams * Break large changes into manageable monthly and quarterly goals * Focus on "winning the day" rather than obsessing over long-term outcomes

Resources Mentioned * Website: impactfulperformance.com * Book: "Optimize Your Leadership: An Impactful and Healthy Way to Lead in the New Age" (available on Amazon) * LinkedIn: Dan Roberts

Final Thoughts Change is inevitable in today's business environment, but with the right approach focused on people, clear communication, and manageable implementation, organizations can navigate transformation successfully. The key is remembering that while you can't control the macro environment, you can control how your team responds to and moves through change.

The Executive Edge with Sue Firth provides practical skills for success in life and business. Subscribe on all major podcast platforms for more insights from leading experts.

Episode 215

Released July 24, 2025

Interview with Candice Elsmore - Former Investment Banker turned COO, Strategic Partnerships Expert

Guest Background Candice Elsmore brings extensive international experience across four continents:

South African origins: Grew up in Johannesburg
Education: London Business School, Wharton (US)
Career progression: Investment banker at Goldman Sachs → COO roles → Strategic partnerships in tech/fintech
Current location: Middle East (UAE)
Specialization: Working with startups, blockchain companies, and financial disruption technologies

Key Discussion Topics Investment Banking Insights Top criteria banks consider for business investment:

Financial fundamentals - Numbers remain paramount
Strategic value - How the acquisition enhances existing business
Geographic/product synergies - Complementary capabilities or market access
Operational improvement potential - Ability to enhance cash flows
Future impact assessment - Particularly relevant for emerging technologies like AI

Strategic Partnerships: Two Main Categories 1. Capability Building - Acquiring specific technology or skills to grow market share 2. Distribution Access - Gaining connectivity to end users and new markets

Note: Strategic partnerships are particularly prevalent in fintech, where businesses need multiple channels but acquiring many companies isn't feasible.

Preparing Your Business for Sale Critical considerations for business owners:

Customer diversification - Avoid concentration risk with only 1-2 major clients
Scalable processes - Build systems that don't depend solely on the founder
Talent and structure - Ensure the business can operate without daily founder involvement
Multiple stakeholder perspective - Consider how buyers will evaluate customers, products, and talent

Key insight: Buyers examine businesses from multiple angles - owners should proactively address potential blind spots.

Future Trends & AI Adoption Practical AI recommendations:

Start using AI tools daily - ChatGPT, Claude (Anthropic), Perplexity
Begin with simple tasks - Letter writing, routine work (without sensitive information)
Build confidence gradually - Let AI learn your style and preferences
Strategic applications - Use for skill assessment, strategic thinking support
Expect 60-70% accuracy - Sufficient for overcoming writer's block and idea generation

Why change is difficult:

Human "caveman brain" associates change with danger
Evolution hasn't caught up with modern business needs
Small daily interactions (5-10 minutes) help build comfort

Managing Executive Pressure Essential strategies for high-stakes decision making:

Diversify your identity - Don't tie self-worth solely to career success
Develop multiple outlets - Family, sports, faith, hobbies
Build habits over time - Can't create reserves during crisis moments
Non-negotiable personal time - 20-30 minutes daily for balance and control
Accept the reality - Senior roles come with unique stress and responsibility

Example: Many Goldman Sachs executives were marathon runners - long runs provide head-clearing, fresh air, exercise, and endorphins.

Navigating Workplace Diversity Challenges Practical approaches:

Ask questions - Stay curious rather than defensive when facing bias
Professional boundaries - Know when to stand your ground appropriately
Develop diplomacy skills - Critical for senior diverse leaders
Stay calm and assertive - Avoid fight-or-flight responses
Ground yourself - Leverage other life aspects during difficult situations

Regional Expansion: Middle East Focus Candice's new initiative:

Developing a private women's network in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council)
Initial focus: UAE and Saudi Arabia
Addressing gap in professional women's networking in the region
Drawing from successful UK experience with women's network "CHIEF"

Special Offer Candice is offering free 15-minute consultations to three fintech professionals from the podcast audience.

Topics covered:

Capital raising timing and strategy
Business scaling and go-to-market approaches
Geographic expansion decisions
Fundraising and dilution considerations
Strategic partnership alignment

Key Takeaways 1. Numbers drive investment decisions, but strategic value and future potential are equally important 2. Strategic partnerships are essential in tech/fintech for capability building and market access 3. Business preparation for sale requires addressing customer concentration, operational dependencies, and structural weaknesses 4. AI adoption should start small and build daily habits rather than wholesale transformation 5. Executive resilience requires diverse identity, consistent personal practices, and strong support systems 6. Workplace navigation for diverse leaders demands curiosity, diplomacy, and professional boundaries 7. Change is the only constant - adaptability across markets and cultures is essential for success

About The Executive Edge The Executive Edge provides practical skills for achieving and maintaining success in life and business. Available on all major podcast platforms.

www.suefirthltd.com/podcasts

For more episodes and resources, subscribe to The Executive Edge wherever you listen to podcasts.

Episode 214 Released: July 10, 2025

The Story Freddie Rostand's wife Liz has MS and was declining rapidly - could barely walk ¾ mile before collapse. Traditional medicine offered little hope, according to Freddie. An Australian journalist friend shared how bovine colostrum got his wheelchair-bound wife walking again. Within weeks, Liz could walk miles and her life transformed.

What is Colostrum? * First milk produced after birth, known as "liquid gold" * Contains 400+ bioactive ingredients * Acts like an "operating system" for biological processes * Used for 5,000+ years in traditional medicine * Farmers have always known its importance - calves die without it

The Science Gut Health Foundation: 80% of immune system is in the gut. Modern processed foods damage gut lining, causing "leaky gut" and autoimmune disorders.

How Colostrum Works: Contains peptides that allegedly regulate immune system's three stages:

Activate immune response
Target specific threats
Turn off when job done (critical - autoimmune disorders happen when this fails)

Key Benefits, according to Freddie * Autoimmune conditions: Resets immune system, stops body attacking itself * Gut health: Repairs damaged gut lining * Anti-aging: Boosts stem cells, repairs DNA/RNA, supports thymus gland * Athletic performance: Used by elite athletes (Olympic-approved) * Mood & brain: Stimulates feel-good chemicals and brain growth factors

Product Details * Source: Bovine colostrum (surplus only - calves get what they need) * Processing: Freeze-dried to preserve bioactive compounds * Form: Capsules (better gut penetration than powder) * Dosage: 2 capsules daily * Cost: ~£55 for 2 months (less than £1/day)

Company: IG Bioscience * IG Bioscience was founded by Freddie & Liz * Growth through word of mouth * Also make a pet version: "Run Free" by Bella's Apothecary

Key Takeaways * Modern food is damaging our guts and immune systems * Colostrum offers natural way to reset and maintain health * Continuous use recommended (aging is ongoing process) * Extensive research backing (hundreds of thousands of studies) * Safe for all ages, including babies (add to formula)

Bottom Line: Ancient wisdom backed by modern science - colostrum addresses fundamental biological processes rather than just treating symptoms.

⚠️ Important Disclaimer This podcast content is for informational and educational purposes only. The information shared is not medical advice and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical consultation, diagnosis, or treatment. The guest is not a medical doctor, and the experiences shared are personal anecdotes, not clinical recommendations.

Always consult with qualified healthcare professionals before starting any new supplement regimen, especially if you have existing health conditions, are taking medications, or are pregnant or nursing. Individual results may vary, and what works for one person may not work for another.

The hosts and guests make no claims about curing, treating, or preventing any disease. This content does not constitute medical, legal, or professional advice of any kind.

Episode 213

Released June 26, 2025

Episode: Leadership is a Skill, Not a Position Guest: Andy Coley - Leadership Development Expert & TEDx Speaker of the Year

Episode Overview Join Sue Firth as she interviews Andy Coley, a leadership development expert who transitioned from tech to transforming how people think about leadership. Andy shares his personal journey from IT professional to TEDx Speaker of the Year, revealing why leadership is a learnable skill rather than an automatic privilege of position.

Key Topics & Timestamps Andy's Background & Career Transition (5:00-12:00) * Computer science degree sponsored by IBM in the late 90s * Early career at Goldman Sachs in London tech sector * Transition to web development and e-commerce in early 2000s * Running own web development company as director

The Personal Crisis That Changed Everything (12:00-18:00) * Mid-30s "epic life fail" around 2010-2011 * Business failure, debt, and 11-year marriage breakdown * Weight gain to 23 stone (142kg) from overwork * Near-suicidal thoughts and seeking help * Discovery of NLP coaching as a turning point

The Leadership Philosophy: Skill vs Position (18:00-25:00) * Why leadership doesn't automatically come with job titles * The 82% statistic: Most leaders never receive formal leadership training * Four stages of learning applied to leadership development: + Unconsciously incompetent + Consciously incompetent + Consciously competent + Unconsciously competent

Understanding NLP in Leadership (25:00-30:00) * How people process information differently * The thinking-feeling-doing connection * Body language as primary non-verbal communication * Using NLP to understand yourself and teach others

Common Leadership Challenges (30:00-35:00) * "Why aren't my team doing what I'm telling them?" * Matching leadership style to team experience level: + Directive: For emergencies or new employees + Coaching: For developing team members + Delegating: For experienced professionals * The micromanagement trap with experienced teams

Managing Change & Uncertainty (35:00-42:00) * "Shift Happens" philosophy * Chinese proverb: "When winds of change blow, some build walls, others build windmills" * Circles of control vs influence vs concern * Leading with limited information during volatile times * Supporting teams through uncertainty

Key Takeaways ✅ Leadership is learnable - It's a skill set that can be developed, not an innate talent that comes with promotion

✅ Self-audit first - Assess your current leadership abilities through feedback and honest self-reflection

✅ Match your style to your team - Experienced teams need delegation, not micromanagement

✅ Focus on what you can control - During change, concentrate energy on your circle of control and influence

✅ Continuous feedback beats annual reviews - Regular micro-feedback is more effective than yearly performance dumps

✅ Personal crisis can become transformation - Sometimes our lowest points redirect us toward our true calling

Resources Mentioned 📚 Book: "Leadership is a Skill" by Andy Coley 🌐 Website: leadershipisaskill.com 🌐 Andy's Website: andycoley.com 🎤 TEDx Talk: "Leadership is a Skill and Not a Position" 📖 Additional Talk: "Shift Happens" - on managing change

About the Guest Andy Coley is a leadership development expert, NLP Master Practitioner and Trainer, and TEDx Speaker of the Year. After transitioning from a successful tech career, Andy now helps leaders develop essential skills through workshops, keynotes, and coaching. His book "Leadership is a Skill" was released in February.

Specialties:

Leadership development training
NLP coaching and training
Change management
Conference speaking and workshops

Connect with Andy Coley * Website: andycoley.com * Book & Resources: leadershipisaskill.com * Speaking Engagements: Available for conferences, keynotes, and workshops

About The Executive Edge The Executive Edge gives you practical skills to achieve and maintain success in life and business. Hosted by Sue Firth, each episode delivers actionable insights from industry experts and thought leaders.

Subscribe: Available on all major podcast platforms www.suefirthltd.com

Episode recorded in 2013. Book "Leadership is a Skill" was released at the end of February 2013.

Episode 212

Released June 12, 2025

Guest Bio Lauren Taubes brings over 20 years of experience in fashion technology, with a unique background spanning trend forecasting, retail training platforms, ERP systems, and data analytics. She holds a degree in apparel merchandising with a minor in business and currently serves as Director of Business Development at Seventh Online, where she helps fashion companies optimize their merchandise planning through advanced technology solutions.

Key Topics Discussed Fashion Technology Evolution * Journey from trend forecasting at WGSN to SaaS platforms * Experience at Multimedia Plus (retail associate training technology) * Transition through ERP companies and data analytics * Current role at Seventh Online focusing on merchandise planning

The Power of Data-Driven Planning * How technology helps fashion companies avoid overstock and stockouts * The psychological aspects of consumer buying behavior * Supply chain optimization and inventory management * Real-world impact on customer satisfaction and full-price sales

The Amazon Effect * Consumer expectations for instant gratification * How modern shoppers demand next-day delivery * Challenges for retailers in meeting these expectations * Balancing customer satisfaction with operational efficiency

Career Development Insights * The importance of passion-driven work * Benefits of working within established structures vs. entrepreneurship * Building expertise through diverse roles in the same industry * The value of relationship-building in B2B sales

Working Mom Realities * Balancing career ambitions with family responsibilities * The guilt factor and learning to manage it * Importance of supportive workplace culture and flexible employers * Practical strategies: Google Calendar as "brain," detailed documentation for travel

Success Mindset * Influence of family work ethic and parental modeling * The drive to make customers' work lives "better, faster, and easier" * Building long-term relationships even when deals don't close * Continuous learning and adaptation in technology sales

Notable Quotes "I want people's lives to be better, faster, and easier. I want to sell them something that makes their jobs day-to-day within the fashion industry more effective, more efficient."

"Google Calendar is my best friend. It's my brain. Who has what sport? Who has what activity?"

"You have to decide, are you a career woman who happens to have children? Or are you a mom who happens to work? Which one are you?"

Company Spotlight: 7th Online What they do: Merchandise planning technology that helps fashion companies optimize seasonal inventory and product availability

Problem they solve: Eliminating the guesswork in inventory planning to ensure customers can always find products at full price

Website: 7thonline.com

Target market: Fashion, apparel, footwear, and accessories companies globally

Key Takeaways 1. Technology Integration: Small to medium fashion companies can significantly benefit from moving beyond Excel-based planning to sophisticated SaaS solutions 2. Work-Life Integration: Success comes from finding supportive environments that understand the realities of being a working parent 3. Relationship-First Sales: Building genuine connections and providing value leads to long-term success, even when immediate deals don't close 4. Industry Expertise: Deep knowledge of your sector combined with genuine passion creates authentic sales conversations 5. Supply Chain Reality: Modern consumer expectations require sophisticated planning and forecasting to maintain satisfaction

Connect with Lauren * LinkedIn: Lauren Taubes * Company Website: 7thonline.com * Open to: Industry discussions, career conversations, and connecting with fellow working parents

About The Executive Edge The Executive Edge provides practical skills for life and business success. Hosted by Sue Firth, each episode features insights from successful professionals sharing real-world strategies for achieving and maintaining success.

Topics: #FashionTech #WorkingMoms #SaaS #BusinessDevelopment #WomenInBusiness #WorkLifeBalance

Episode 212

Released May 29, 2025

Episode Overview In this episode, Dr. Sharon Melnick reveals the critical difference between being "in power" (having a position) versus being "in your power" (having personal agency). Drawing from her 10 years of research at Harvard Medical School and extensive coaching experience, she provides practical strategies for leaders to manage stress, prevent burnout, and maintain peak performance.

Key Topics Covered The Three Pillars of Being "In Your Power" 1. Agency - Having options and the ability to influence your situation 2. Sovereignty - Maintaining your intended mental, emotional, and physical state 3. Self-Efficacy - Seeing real impact from your actions

The Two Modes of Your Nervous System * "On" Button (Sympathetic) - Focus and problem-solving energy * "Off" Button (Parasympathetic) - Calm and replenishment mode * Why balancing both is crucial for optimal leadership performance

The Real Cause of Burnout Surprising Finding: McKinsey research shows workload wasn't even in the top 5 predictors of burnout - it ranked #7. The #1 predictor of workplace wellbeing is self-efficacy (being in your power).

Key Insight: Burnout doesn't come from having too much to do - it comes from having too little power.

Practical Tools & Techniques Immediate Stress Management Techniques 1. Cooling Breath Technique * Open mouth slightly * Breathe in through mouth (like sipping through a straw) * Exhale through nose * Creates cooling sensation on tongue * Activates frontal lobe thinking and calms both you and others

Extended Exhale Breathing * Inhale for count of 3, exhale for count of 6
Or inhale for 4, exhale for 8
Activates the "off" button of your nervous system
Left Nostril Breathing (for 2am wake-ups) * Cover right nostril
Breathe exclusively through left nostril for 3 minutes
Activates vagus nerve for instant relaxation

The Reframe Question When facing overwhelming situations, ask: "How might this situation be happening FOR you, not TO you?"

Real-World Case Study Dr. Melnick shared a powerful example of a division head whose CEO redistributed his global responsibilities without consultation. Initially heading toward burnout and considering leaving, one reframing question helped him see the opportunity to:

Use in-country managers as pilots for new initiatives
Scale successful programs globally
Focus his global team on more strategic work

Result: He stayed, thrived, and now leads transformational change.

About Dr. Sharon Melnick * Psychologist with 10 years of research at Harvard Medical School * Specializes in intergenerational trauma and power dynamics * Author of two books: "In Your Power" and "Success Under Stress" * Executive coach focusing on leadership under pressure

Resources Mentioned Books by Dr. Sharon Melnick * "In Your Power: React Less, Regain Control, Raise Others" - Focus on leadership and preventing burnout * "Success Under Stress" - Focus on managing the on/off nervous system balance

Recommendation: Start with "In Your Power" for current times and leadership challenges.

Free Resource Burnout-Proof Leadership Checklist Available at: www.sharonmelnick.com/burnoutproof

Connect with Dr. Sharon Melnick * Website: SharonMelnick.com * LinkedIn: Dr. Sharon Melnick

Key Takeaways 1. Distinguish between position power and personal power - True leadership comes from being "in your power" 2. Balance your nervous system - Optimal performance requires oscillating between "on" and "off" modes 3. Reframe challenges as opportunities - Ask how situations might be happening FOR you, not TO you 4. Use practical techniques in the moment - Breathing exercises can shift your state in under 3 minutes 5. Address the root cause of burnout - Focus on increasing sense of control and impact, not just reducing workload 6. Remember: When a leader is in their power, they raise everyone around them

Next Steps for Listeners 1. Download the Burnout-Proof Leadership Checklist 2. Practice the breathing techniques during your next stressful moment 3. Read "In Your Power" for comprehensive strategies 4. Ask yourself the reframe question during challenging situations 5. Focus on building your team's sense of self-efficacy alongside your own

This episode of The Executive Edge provides practical skills you can apply immediately to achieve and maintain success while supporting your team's wellbeing and performance.

🎙️ The Executive Edge – Episode 210 Guest: Professor Adam Boddison, CEO of the Association for Project Management Host: Sue Firth

Released: May 15, 2025

Episode Summary: In this episode, Sue Firth is joined by Professor Adam Boddison to unpack the underestimated power of project management in modern business. As the CEO of the Association for Project Management, Adam shares his unconventional career journey — from teaching secondary school math to leading a major charity through a financial turnaround, and now championing strategic delivery at the helm of a major professional body.

Together, they explore the real role of project management: not just Gantt charts and spreadsheets, but as a critical tool for strategy execution, culture change, and business transformation.

What You'll Learn:

Why project management is often misunderstood — and how it's really about executing strategy, not just ticking boxes.
The shift in C-suite roles from traditional operations to Chief Transformation Officers.
How digital transformation and AI adoption demand cultural, not just technical, change.
The concept of "projectification" of the workforce and why it's the future.
The difference between everyone doing project management vs. being a project professional.
How to future-proof your business with better planning, people capability, and data.
Why data needs to be forward-looking ("windscreen") instead of backward-looking ("rearview").
How post-COVID workplace changes and generational shifts are reshaping business expectations.

Key Quotes:

🗣️ “Everybody can dance, but not everybody is a dancer. Same goes for project management.” – Adam Boddison

🗣️ “Project management isn’t just a function. It’s the mechanism for strategy execution.”

🗣️ “Never before has the pace of change been so fast—and never again will it be this slow.”

Resources Mentioned:

🌐 Association for Project Management
📘 APM’s Chartered Standard – Competencies framework to benchmark project management capability
🔗 Connect with Adam Boddison on LinkedIn

Connect with Us:

📣 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite platform.
🌐 Learn more at Sue Firth’s Website
💬 Follow Sue on LinkedIn

Final Thoughts: Whether you’re a business leader, manager, or entrepreneur, this episode is a must-listen if you’re serious about navigating rapid change with clarity. It's time to stop improvising and start executing with intent — project management is the edge you've been looking for.

Episode 209

Released May 1, 2025

In this compelling episode, Jeff Bogensberger, a former corporate executive turned purpose-driven entrepreneur, shares his candid story of transformation after hitting a life crossroads at age 50.

Jeff opens up about the personal losses, disillusionment with corporate life, and global events that pushed him to radically change direction. Fueled by a desire to make people happier and life more fun, Jeff founded The Laughing Otter, a multimedia and events company designed to spread positivity, support social causes, and make a genuine impact—especially for children and underserved communities.

In This Episode: - The pivotal life events that led Jeff to walk away from a successful executive career. - How burnout, misaligned values, and witnessing personal tragedies pushed him to reassess everything. - Why purpose-driven business can be both profitable and socially impactful. - The Laughing Otter’s mission: spreading joy through events, positive news, children’s books, and global initiatives. - How Jeff’s agile, partnership-focused business model enables fast, joyful, and meaningful growth. - The role of optimism, humor, and community in healing from a divisive, negative media landscape. - Jeff’s views on the societal effects of the dot-com boom and how capitalism has shifted away from value creation.

Plus: - Learn how small acts—like funding a party for an orphanage in Uganda—can create huge emotional returns. - Discover how to get involved, whether you’re an event partner, donor, or just someone with a crazy, fun idea.

📣 Connect with Jeff: - Website: https://laughingotter.com - LinkedIn: Jeff Bogensberger

💡 This episode is a heartfelt reminder that it’s never too late to redefine your path and that business success doesn’t have to come at the cost of your values—or your happiness.

Listen now and get inspired to create your own ripple of positive change.

Episode 208

Released April 17, 2025

Millennials aren’t broken — the leadership model is.

In this week’s podcast, bestselling author & exec coach Susan Inouye joins Sue Firth to unpack how a gift-centered leadership approach is the future of work.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube

Episode 207

Released April 3, 2025

In this episode of The Executive Edge, host Sue Firth talks with Graham Wilson, a thought leader and author who founded The Success Factory. Graham shares insights from his military background and how those experiences shaped his approach to leadership.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 206

Released March 20, 2025

In this episode of The Executive Edge, host Sue Firth interviews Anders Inset, a business philosopher and author of "The Viking Code." Anders shares insights on building high-performance cultures rooted in values, drawing from Norwegian principles that have led to success in both sports and business.

Guest Profile Anders Inset

Former entrepreneur and company builder
Philosopher focusing on the intersection of business and philosophy
Author of six books, including "The Viking Code"
Currently writing "Singularity Paradox: Bridging the Gap Between Humanity and AI" with a quantum physicist

Key Topics Anders' Background and Journey Anders describes his transition from being a "hardcore capitalist" focused on extrinsic goals to exploring the intersection between business and philosophy. He sold his company to pursue a path of progress rather than finite goals.

For more visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 205

Released March 6, 2025

This week's guest is Rani Al Hajji, a seasoned global executive with a proven track record of driving growth, business transformation and consistent financial results in the Consumer Goods / Personal Care industry.

Rani has over 20 years of experience at L’Oréal and Colgate-Palmolive, and has successfully led and grown businesses across Europe, the US, and Asia (including 3 years in China).

On the show we talk about how his insights from the consumer goods industry is helping him work with tech startups and bringing their products to market.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 204

Released February 20, 2025

This week's guest is Connie Siu, a management consultant who helps businesses achieve profitable growth, transfrom operation and align teams for outstanding performance.

On the show, Connie talks about her book "Get Results that Count" and her belief that businesses need to optimise their results measurement to drive success.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 203

Released February 6, 2025

Bernadette Smith from The Equality Institute is this week's guest.

CEO of the Equality Insititute, she is a speaker and award winning author of four books including "Inclusive 360: Proven Solutions for an Equitable Organization".

A champion for inclusion and belonging, Bernadette has been spotlighted by the New York Times, National Public Radio, CNN, and the Today Show, and she’s been named one of Chicago’s Notable LGBTQ Executives by Crain’s Chicago Business.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 202

Released January 23, 2025

A conversation with Lauri Smith on the power of voice and the magic that happens when you speak speak authentically and powerfully.

The conversation naturally turns to business and leadership and the work Lauri does helping clients express themselves.

With a focus on authenticity, connection and oneness, Lauri believes that leadership comes, as she says, from "being present in the moment and accepting what is, while also moving forward with PURPOSE to create the change you want to create in the world."

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 201

Released January 9, 2025

Nutritionist Dr Emily Prpa is this week's guest. Emily, who is an academic, speaker, and Company Nutritionist & Science Manager at Yakult, talks about the fundamental importance of good gut health and how gut microbiome impact our well-being.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 200

Released 19 December, 2025

This week it’s just me behind the mic.

Instead of an interview, I discuss Steven Bartlett’s book “The Diary of a CEO - The 33 Laws of Business & Life”, highlighting some of the key points it raises.

Drawing on examples taken from my own life, as well as things I’ve come across during my work as a speaker and business psychologist, I suggest some of the things that you, the listener, might want to consider as you continue your journey through business and life!

Thank you! On a personal note, thank you to everyone who subscribes to the show.

I already have a stack of great interviews in the can, ready for 2025.

Thanks again for listening!

Visit me at ↗ https://suefirthltd.com to find more content or book me for speaking events or consulting

Episode 199

Released December 5, 2024

Guest: Michael Forman – Networking Expert, Author & Professional Speaker

Episode Overview Michael Forman shares practical strategies for effective business networking, drawing from his extensive experience as a speaker and author of "Networking Unleashed: Mastering the Art of Professional Networking."

Key Takeaways - Navigating your first networking event with confidence - Building meaningful connections at events - Overcoming networking anxiety - Effective follow-up strategies - Converting connections into business opportunities

About Michael Based in Georgia, Michael Forman brings his New York energy to corporate training and speaking engagements. He's delivered hundreds of presentations, helping organizations boost their profitability through improved networking practices.

Connect with Michael - Website: Michael A Forman, Public Speaker | Business Networking - LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michaelforman - YouTube: - Book: "Networking Unleashed: Mastering the Art of Professional Networking"

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

None

Episode 198

Released November 21, 2024

Ugo Arinzeh is founder and Managing Director of Onyx Property Consultants. She has an MBA in finance and spent over 10 years with Bank of America Merrill Lynch structuring and negotiating real estate transactions.

Over the years she has personally bought, sold and managed properties both in the US and London.

On the show she shares her journey from Nigeria to New Jersey to London, where after a career in finance, she started Onyx to utilise all her skills from her corporate and investor background to deliver exceptional results for her clients.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 197

Released November 7, 2024

This week's guest is Mike Lane-Evans from Forefront Coaching

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for shownotes and more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 196

Released October 24, 2024

An interview with Dennis Franczak, 20 Year CEO with experience in building companies, leading business transformation, maximizing operations efficiency, driving revenue growth, increasing profitability and increasing valuation for M&A.

He is also founder of brightmatteradvisors.com.

Dennis talks about his experience of burning out, hitting the wall, his role as a business leader and the impact of burn out on his business. He also talks candidly about how he built himself up again and made the decision to help other executives avoid a similar path.

Show notes:

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 195

Released October 10, 2024

This week's guest is Steve Smith, a professional business coach in Orange County, CA.

Steve's mission, as he says, "is to provide an extraordinary coaching experience that helps business professionals develop a keen sense of clarity, confidence and belief about being able to achieve what is most important to them and their organizations."

The show breaks down just what he means by this and looks at things like the mentality and mindset of those who look for coaching.

A key takeaway for any listener will be the need to be open to the journey when working with a coach.

Or as Steve puts it: "Your business is a reflection of you!"

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for show notes and more great content. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 194

Released September 26, 2024

This week's guest is Amy Taylor.

Amy is a dynamic American model known for her striking presence and versatile talent. Amy’s journey in the modeling industry is marked by her unique blend of beauty, charisma, and professionalism.

Amy has graced numerous high-profile publications like GQ, Elle, LOfficiel and collaborated with top industry professionals.

Beyond modeling, she is an advocate for body positivity and empowerment, often sharing her journey and insights with her dedicated followers.

On the show Amy discusses being a sex worker, overcoming people's preconceptions of sex workers and how we need to think differently.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 193

Released September 12, 2024

This week's guest is Scott Grates, a national best-selling American author, podcast host, entrepreneur, TEDx speaker and successful coach for small business owners.

Scott discusses how he has built his success both as a business owner, coach and author, around his commitment to building better relationships.

Scott's business mindset is not "sales". It's about building meaningful connections and nurturing relationships.

Although the majority of his career has centered around the insurance and real estate industries, this week's episode gives every listener food for thought.

Even if you're not a business owner, it's important to recognise the imporance of relationships when it comes to selling services and building trust.

Learn more about Scott at: www.scottgrates.com

Visit www.suefirthltd.comfor more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 192

Released August 29, 2024

The guest this week is Liz Clifton, a calm coach.

www.lizclifton.co.uk

Liz talks candidly about how a 15-year dysfunctional relationship left her lonely and without a voice of her own.

She describes making better choices and emotionally healing from that situation and how that led to her becoming a Reiki professional and ultimately a "calm coach".

Liz also talks in depth about how the process of rehabiliting her dog, helping it recover and bond with her, led her to feel calm and more comfortable with herself.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 191

Released August 15, 2024

This week's guest is Sean Johnson, CEO at Madison – an agency which helps market personal services firms.

Sean talks about how he helps executives grow their businesses through the clear identification of their Point of View and the creation of Authority Marketing programs that turn them into trusted advisors.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 190

Released August 1, 2024

This week’s guest is Dr Bruno Roque Cignacco.

Bruno is an international business consultant, TEDx speaker, lecturer, and best-selling author.

For over 30 years, he has advised and trained businesses on international trade activities and social marketing.

We discuss his new book and belief that it is compassionate businesses that thrive.

TEDx talk The art of compassionate business at Bonn Square Salon (Oxford, UK)
Bruno’s book
Bruno’s website
Bruno on Linkedin

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 189

Released July 25, 2024

For full show notes, please visit Episode 189 shownotes.

Or visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Re-released July 18, 2024

Originally released March 16, 2023

This week's guest is Ashley Quinto Powell. Ashley is a sales and revenue consultant. She’s also a keynote and TEDX speaker, author, and start-up founder. She is a self-professed champion of mums, and a relentless supporter of entrepreneurs.

Ashley is passionate about Women in business “having it all without doing it all.”

On the show, she discusses the idea of the cultural expectation women have of doing everything and how this often leads to women taking on a lot more. They do this both physically and mentally.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for the full show notes.

Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 187

Released July 11, 2024

This week's guest is Alan Lazaros, a coach and consultant, who shares the incredible story of how a horrific car accident at the age of 26 led him along the path to success and fulfilment.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 186

Released July 4, 2024

An interview with Karen Brown, Founder and CEO of Exponential Results.

While training for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii, Karen – a keen athlete – discovered the key to greater performance and effectiveness: identifying and addressing blind spots – the repeated thinking patterns that impede success.

Using a professional coach and science-based methodologies of how our minds work, she "busted through her own blind spots to achieve astounding results".

Karen's discovery and success led to the creation of Exponential Results, a company that uses a methodology developed from neuroscience to help businesses become more successful.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 185

Released June 27, 2024

This week's podcast is an interview with Andres Klaric, the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Fuse, a next-gen loan origination system (LOS) that simplifies lending for financial institutions.

Over the last decade, Andres worked on Wall Street, investing in tech and business services.

This gave him an acute awareness of the issues slowing down lenders from achieving their highest potential, ultimately leading to starting Fuse with his cofounder, Marc Escapa.

On this week's show he shares his story of what a start-up executive goes through – and all the things he leared from working at a car dealership AND on Wall Street.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 184

Released June 20, 2024

This week's guest is Dr Benjamin Ritter, founder of Live for Yourself Consulting.

On the show Ben discusses how people who've experienced a level of professional success but don't feel personally fulfilled or successful may be being held back by their lack of fearlessness.

He gives practical advice on personal development and ways to explore self-leadership.

For Ben, self-leadership may be what's key to unlocking your potential, kick-starting your personal growth and bringing you more confidence.

Episode 183

Released June 12, 2024

Nowadays, young people seem less well-equipped to handle what life throws at them. Research shows that they are experiencing more mental health difficulties, particularly because of Covid. They might be capable, have plenty of knowledge and information, but it feels as if something's missing. So on this week's show, the focusis on the life skills – or tools for life – that young people need.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 182

Released June 6, 2024

This week's interview is with Barry Labov, CEO of LABOV Marketing, Communications & Training.

Barry is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, brand strategist and channel engagement specialist.

Oh, and he's also a former musician having made it onto the Billboard charts back in the day.

On the show, Barry discusses the power and importance of differentiation.

He suggests that too often, great brands don’t recognize, understand or value the uniqueness within their company or products. It leads to a commodity mindset that diminishes sales, profit, quality and employee morale.

With reference to his new book "The Power of Differentiation", Barry insists that businesses shouldn't make assumptions about what they do.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com/182 for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 181

Released May 30, 2024

This week's guest is Matthew Sanjari, a business consultant and coach, who runs PRIME Consulting.

Matthew discusses his journey from marketing and real estate to business coaching after a life-changing accident.

Sharing insights into how to reboot your mindset to ensure you run a business and that the business doesn't run you, Matthew's overriding approach is to blend operational strategy with personal development.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for the full shownotes. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 180

Released May 23, 2024

This week's guest is Terry Ziemniak

Terry has over 25 years of experience in the information security field, with work ranging from technical, compliance, and executive leadership.

His most recent positions include 10 years as Information Security Officer for multi-billion-dollar healthcare organizations across the United States. This includes working as VP of Cybersecurity at Atrium Health.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 179

Released May 16, 2024

This week's guest is Doug Betts, who runs a business helping organisations to build skill at managerial and leadership level. I am passionate about this myself as I regularly work in business and find many people struggle with some aspect of their role. Often its handling conflict, or people who are under-performing, or it can be getting the right person in the job in the first place.

Doug is very skilled with a long history of working in HR and his starting point is another passion of mine – that HR is not just about employment records and holiday allowance! It’s more complicated than that and experts like him are often very skilled at ‘all things people’.

To learn more about the show, visit www.suefirthltd.com for the full show notes and links mentioned in the show. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 178

Released May 9, 2024

Welcome to episode 178 of my podcast The Executive Edge with Kapil Kulshreshtha.

Kapil is a TEDx speaker, author, and coach. He passionately believes that anyone can find greater purpose in their life then live a happier life with time, effort, and guidance.

He runs Scintillate Coaching

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 177

Released May 2, 2024

This week's guest is John Hall - an expert in breathwork.

John who runs his own business www.breathe-with.me talked about how the vagus nerve works and that it runs the full length of the body from brain to toes! As a result, it controls or influences, many reactions, and responses in our body. He is quoted as saying “our mind is sending signals to our body about what to focus on. Our focus is sending signals back to our body about how to respond!” So, the aim of this podcast is to help you recognise what you have control of, and how to assert that control. It pays off.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 176

Released April 25, 2024

This week's guests are Michelle Troseth and Tracy Christopherson who run Missing Logic.

On the show we discuss the "Polarity Intelligence Framework" that they've developed, which helps business leaders not just survive but thrive.

As Michelle and Tracy put it, they "equip leaders with the missing logic to combat burnout and create sustainable work life balance and healthy work environments."

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for the show notes. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 175

Released April 18, 2024

This week's guest is Ajay Malik.

Ajay has been an expert in AI for many years and worked for various companies including Motorola and Google. He believes it isn’t a big surprise or scary but it’s all about data! It helps us if we let it because data is more predictive, and it does better than us as we make errors.

On the show we talk all things AI.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 174

Release April 11, 2024

This week's guest is Erin Andrea Craske

This episode delves into the concept of being a conscious business rebel and explores the journey of self-discovery and transformation. Erin introduces herself and shares insights into her personal and professional background.

She feels she is a conscious business rebel, and she highlights her love for freedom and self-direction.

The focus of the show is the role and make up of the conscious rebel in business.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for the show notes. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 173

Released April 4, 2024

This week The Executive Edge welcomes Laura Darrell

Laura is a leadership coach specialising in helping organizations, big and small, enhance their workplace culture.

We talk leadership culture and the way the workplace is changing.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for the full show notes. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 172

Released March 28, 2024

This week's guest is Evan Marks.

Evan is a distinguished performance coach with a background in Wall Street. He shares his 23-year experience on Wall Street highlighting the intense and competitive environment.

In this interview he discusses the significance of mental performance in high-pressure business settings.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 171

Released March 21, 2024

This week's guests is Andrea Petrone, an executive performance coach.

On the show we discuss how Andrea feels the role of CEOs is changing, how CEOs need to relate more to their staff, and the importance of communication in the workplace.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for the full show notes. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram

Connect with Andrea on:

Apple podcasts Youtube Newsletter LinkedIn

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 170

Released March 14, 2024

This week's guest is Kasper Sierslev

Kasper is the Chief Commercial and Creative Officer for Zite Agency in Copenhagen. His background has been in agency marketing, and he’s got experience of being both his own in-house marketing expert and using external support.

During this episode we had a great chat about small businesses and how they get to the tipping point where it has less value using a ‘jack of all trades’ who does everything for you, versus outsourcing your marketing needs. Often it is driven by the level of expertise you need and the sector you’re in. Big logistical issues such as the delivery of freight need people who understand what is being shipped and to whom, so that they can promote the benefits of the company they represent.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 169

Released March 7, 2024

This week I talk to Lisa Tromba.

Lisa is a well-experienced Executive Search and leadership assessment advisor delivering diverse leadership solutions across Consumer, Food & Beverage and Industrial markets globally.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for the shownotes. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 168

Released February 29, 2024

This week's guests is Shanil Ebrahim

Shanil is a partner in Deloitte in Canada, working with organisations, implementing AI and health solutions to prepare business for the workforce of the future.

Visit the show notes for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 167

Released February 22, 2024

This week's guest is Richard Clarke

Richard found it difficult to decide what he wanted to do in life, but he resolved to be happy while he searched. He travelled, did a variety of jobs and spent several years experiencing life before starting an IT company with a colleague.

At work he wanted to make sure his employees felt happy as he recognised this feature of their working life made a big difference. Money was less important to him, but being surrounded by a team was important.

On the show, Richard discussese the 5 drivers for happiness at work.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 166

Released February 15, 2024

This week's guest is Stephanie Coradin

With a background in counselling and business development, Stephanie talks passionately about how executives in the hospitality industry need to connect with employees – at all levels.

In her experience, "emotional leadership", as she calls it, fosters a compassionate and caring environment which in turn leads to increased profitability and productivity.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 165

Released February 8, 2024

This week's guests is Anita Chaudhuri.

Anita is a Guardian journalist who previously wrote for Psychologies magazine. Her main area of interest, which is close to my heart, is that of handling stress and finding creative ways to feel good.

She is also a talented photographer. In this episode she does a great job of explaining how she came to master it. In the process of taking pictures there is a great deal of concentration, focus and single-minded determination. She finds these qualities give her a complete break from her thoughts and the inevitable ‘busyness’ of life.

This episode is very much about the benefits of incorporating creative practice in your daily life.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 164

Released February 1, 2024

This week's guest is Jeanne Omlor

Jeanne is a business accelerator expert for coaches and consultants. With a background in fashion before deciding to become an actress, she grew up in Australia and settled in Paris for several years. Then took up translation work from French and after 8 years in Europe, she moved to New York.

She became an executive recruiter for Wall St and a consultant for them. Hiring top level people for business. She’s had an interesting life and learnt how to promote herself on social media. Driven to coaching and securing clients quite quickly, she excelled at it but taught herself well.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 163

Released January 25, 2024

This week's guests is Dr Randy Ross – a globally celebrated authority in corporate culture.

He pairs passion and profit by fortifying emotional health and fostering an unparalleled sense of well-being in the workplace.

Renowned for his bestselling books, Fireproof Happiness, Relationomics, and Remarkable, he believes in creating an ecosystem where top talent thrives. He also finds the bottom-line flourishes.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 162

January 16, 2024

This week's show has two guests: Phil Lewis and Claire Croft. Together they form the dynamic business consulting service Corporate Punk that helps businesses to navigate change, conflict and work more effectively.

Bottom line, they work to make businesses work better using a combination of business diagnostics, planning, consultancy and coaching.

On the show, the pair discuss ways in which they help businesses and their transition from marketers to business consultants.

The discussion also looks at how business teams often fall into conflict aversion where people avoid having healthy, important conversations that would otherwise result in positive change.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 161

Released January 11, 2024

This week's guest is Neal Frick.

Neal has worked in executive leadership positions in a traditional, conservative industry of defence in the US. He found it more difficult because leaders miss the mark by not focussing on inclusion and instead espouse old school ways of doing business. He feels this does not serve business anymore.

He advocates a new wave of doing business. More often we respond to a singular issue such as the need for flexible working practices after women return to work from maternity leave. This specific response to an issue happens because a group of people demand it. Business then tries to rise to that challenge. Neal feels things should be more rounded than that. He suggests that we can continuously stay ‘on top of inclusion’ if we talk to people more.

For more, please visit Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 160

Released: January 4, 2024

This week's guest is Chris Wood.

Chris runs his own business Chris Wood Leadership and is with me in this episode to talk about how our nervous system works. He believes if we can control the fight or flight reaction of our body. We can have more input at times when we need to be more alert; make important decisions or do things that matter.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Happy Holidays

Released December 20, 2023

Editor of the show Jon Buscall steps in to wish you a Happy Chrstimas and Happy Holidays wherever you may be.

During 2023 we've put out a show every week and now it's time to take some much needed rest and relaxation.

If you visit www.suefirthltd.com/thebestof2023 you'll find links to our favourite shows from the year in case you want to listen again or catch up on your listening!

See you in 2024

Kindly,

Sue

Episode 158

Released December 15, 2023

This week's guest is marketer Marco Torres from Marketing Boost.

He helps business owners worldwide boost sales and scale their businesses by as much as 5-fold through the use of incentive-based marketing.

He teaches entrepreneurs how to soar sales & marketing using “Value-Add-Incentives” instead of discounts.

His Facebook Group is home to more than 27,000 active business owners who are increasing their sales with his advice and affordable subscription program.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 157

Released December 7, 2023

This week's guest is with Naketa Ren Thigpen who is a balance and relationship advisor.

She trained in psychology, sociology, and anthropology as an undergraduate but went on to understand trauma and how this impacts us. Specifically, as a social worker. She understands human behaviour and wants to support people. She’s also found it helped her with her own relationships.

Naketa transitioned into running a personal development company although her primary speciality, that of managing trauma, is still where she supports people. So, we began to talk about how people can find balance in their lives and prioritise their relationships, because it’s so easy to let intimacy and time for our loved ones, slip when we are very busy.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 156

Released November 30, 2023

In this episode I want to talk to you about the second chapter of my new book ‘Toolkit for life’. This features the topic of how to communicate well. It is available for purchase and download on the site now.

All of us pick up the skill of expressing ourselves when we’re quite young, but it’s a skill that is by no means easy for all of us. Trying to get your point across and not feeling heard, or not managing your feelings in that moment can be tricky. It can make you feel less competent, or confident, at it. So, as a result it can be difficult to keep trying.

For more, www.suefirthltd.com Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 155

Released November 23, 2023

This week's guests is Brenda Harrington.

Brenda discusses her background in business, her transition to coaching, and some key aspects of leadership and decision-making. She has also written an excellent book called ‘Access Denied’

Brenda shares her extensive experience in private industry, particularly in real estate-related activities and global mobility consulting. She and I discuss a tumultuous acquisition experience that led her to explore coaching and professional development. She also emphasizes her belief in the importance of the human aspect in business and her decision to pursue executive coaching, leading to the establishment of her practice.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

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Episode 154

Released November 16, 2023

In this episode Randy Crane – the "fearless marketer" – promotes the use of greater emotion in the marketing process.

Randy talks about sales techniques and how difficult it can be to sound original, authentic, or even innovative. Randy feels many of the old school methods are now outdated such as the Features, Advantages, and Benefits process he’s seen used in the past.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 153

Released November 9, 2023

In this week’s episode, we dive into the fascinating journey of two women, who not only spent 30 years working at Boeing but also came together to start their own business. The interview with Susan Ireland,highlights the challenges of working in male-dominated industries and the personal choices that led to their entrepreneurial path.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: Jon Buscall

Episode 152

Released November 2, 2023

This episode of The Executive Edge features Grayson James, a highly knowledgeable individual who is the CEO and Founder of Grayson James Consultants, LLC. He also runs a business called Full Contact Institute where you can find copies of his excellent book on this topic.

Grayson's business is a globally recognised company that specialises in leadership collaboration and performance improvement. With more than thirty years of expertise in guiding senior executives and their teams, Grayson is a consultant for organisations aiming to achieve genuine organisational change.

The episode opens with a discussion about Grayson's interest in how people collaborate and communicate effectively. He shares his background as a professional mediator and coach, emphasising the importance of awareness in leadership. He believes much of our behaviour is automatic and habitual, making it essential to become aware of our patterns in order to make positive changes.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 151

Released October 26, 2023

This week's guest is Michael Malone – a professional in the field of Corporate Finance, specialising as an Investment Banker and Financial Consultant. Michael is now the Vice President at ‘The Financial Retirement Group’ where he assists individual clients with attaining long term financial goals.

On today’s episode, Michael introduces himself as a financial advisor and explains that his firm helps clients live 20% longer. He shares his background, which includes transitioning from real estate into finance, and eventually specialising in retirement planning. We discuss the sensitivity that executives have around the concept of retirement. We also cover the challenges they face when considering this stage of life.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 150

Released October 19, 2023

In this week’s episode I explain my reasons for writing my fourth book called Toolkit for Life which comes out today

Instead of releasing this as a whole book I’ve decided to release it chapter by chapter. That’s because each chapter talks about skills or tools.

Why have I done this? I believe we all need tools in life as these help us navigate difficult situations or phases of change. For example, when we leave home and start living independently, or running our own business, or having children. These are huge changes for us and many of them are positive. But where change is perceived as more of an issue, or we feel overwhelmed, it can get difficult. We can struggle to feel competent and capable, instead getting stressed, overwhelmed, and anxious. I feel it’s not always the situation that triggers this but our lack of skill or experience of it before.

So, instead of relying on ourselves, we doubt ourselves, damaging our self-belief and trust in our decisions. Decision making and problem solving is one of the forthcoming chapters. So is the ability to communicate and ask for what we need.

This month though is the first chapter: the power of strong self-esteem. This is the foundation block on which every other skill or tool is built. The better we feel about ourselves, the stronger our confidence and ability to have faith and belief in our judgement.

As you go through life you learn what you are capable of. This learning is essential for maturity and growth. Many of us test this, trying on new things and setting goals. But others can feel vulnerable, uncertain, and lacking in confidence. This belief can build, or it can be damaged it would seem, by what other people say or do. Especially if these people are important in our lives such as teachers, friends, or parents.

But if you can maintain a powerful sense of trust in yourself you can draw on It throughout your life trusting that even difficult situations will pass. That you can cope and that not everything in life is easy. Strong self-esteem helps you work out what you do matters and how you think. It all helps build confidence, belief and conviction in yourself

The first chapter is out today – to get more information, please click on this link

Episode 149

Released October 12, 2023

Welcome to episode 149 with Jason Shen.

In this week’s episode of The Executive Edge, guest Jason Shen – an executive coach and CEO of Refactor Labs – shares his unique journey from being a gymnast to his current career.

He emphasises the relevance of resilience and reinvention in today’s dynamic environment.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 148

Released October 5, 2023

This week’s episode of The Executive Edge welcomes Gerald Leonard, the CEO of two companies, Turnberry Premier (a consulting business) and the Productivity Intelligence Institute (an online training company focused on productivity). The conversation delves into Gerald’s unique perspective on productivity and personal growth.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 147

Released September 27, 2023

The guest this week is Chellie Phillips.

Chellie is an author and coach who specialises in career and personal branding. Chellie discusses her background in journalism and corporate PR. She highlights the importance of storytelling and authenticity in branding.

The episode emphasises that personal branding goes beyond the scope of social media. It is all about how individuals present themselves in all aspects of life, including in the workplace. She affirms the importance of client interactions, and everyday conversations. It’s also about the way people communicate, their behaviour and their consistency in presenting themselves. These all contribute to their personal brand.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 146

Released September 21, 2023

This week's guest is Constance Dierickx, a globally renowned authority in navigating decision-making processes. With a track record of providing counsel to leaders and addressing audiences in over 20 nations, she is well known. As the founder and president of CD Consulting Group, she serves a diverse clientele encompassing many corporations, private equity organisations and major non-profit entities worldwide.

Our conversation goes on to highlight how stress can further impair decision-making abilities, whether it's caused by crisis or the pursuit of personal goals. We discuss the biochemical aspects of stress and its impact on the brain, explaining that stress doesn't simply shut down parts of the brain but affects the entire brain network. We also emphasise the difference between short-lived stressors and chronic stress, with the latter leading to tricky behaviours and psychological suffering.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 145

Released September 14, 2023

This week's guest is Jodi Lasky

Jodi is a speaker, entrepreneur, and the author of multiple works in progress.

This episode offers our listeners a thought-provoking discussion about the dynamics of introversion and extroversion.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 144

Released September 7, 2023

This week's guest is Jacob Badsgaard, founder and president at Disruptive Advertising.

We explore the application of values in the business world, emphasising the need for companies to not only understand what these are, but also to live by them and align their actions accordingly.

Our discussion seeks to recognise the challenges in acknowledging one’s own belief system and introspective journey. It often brings about feelings of guilt and shame when individuals realize they may not have been living in alignment with their values. This challenge is a fundamental starting point for the podcast’s exploration, highlighting the emotional aspects of this process.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

August 23, 2023

Sue's on vacation, so Producer Jon steps in to share a little message.

Sue's back with episode 144 – and, Yes, it's already in the can – on September 7, 2023.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 143

Released August 17, 2023

This week's guest is Christie Garcia, a leadership coach and founder of Mindful Choice Leadership Academy.

In this podcast, the concept of ego and its influence on leadership and team dynamics are explored.

The discussion delves into the unconscious behaviours of the ego and its role in sabotaging individuals.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 142

Released August 10, 2023

Part two of last week's interview with Dr Caroline Leaf.

See the show notes from last week for more on Part 1.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 141

Released August 3, 2023

This week's guests is Caroline Leaf, PhD . She is a mental health expert, neuroscientist, and host of the popular podcast, Cleaning Up the Mental Mess. On the show she discusses how adults and children can unravel toxic thoughts and regain control of their minds.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 140

Released July 26, 2023

In this episode I am joined by Zach Montroy, an expert in strategic leadership, offering solutions in areas such as strategic planning, marketing, communications and more. A pivotal point in our conversation today revolves around the significance of courage in leading change within organisations.

Effective leaders recognise that their teams are composed of individuals with diverse abilities and past experiences. Some of which may involve trauma related to change. To foster an environment that facilitates change, empathy and understanding are therefore crucial. Zach believes that by acknowledging and appreciating the unique qualities of each team member, leaders can create a supportive atmosphere that encourages growth and adaptation.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 139

Released July 20, 2023

In this episode of The Executive Edge, Satyam Kantamneni. joins the show. Satyam is the founder of UXReactor, a company that specialises in serving enterprise software companies. In this episode, Satyam highlights the significance of the user experience in today's fiercely competitive digital landscape.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com of the show notes for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 138

Released July 13, 2023

In this episode, I am joined by a highly knowledgeable public health professor, Dr Raymona Lawrence. She shares the importance of her model, in actionable steps that promotes diversity and inclusion in various settings. The ROAR framework she introduces, consists of four crucial elements: Recruitment, Onboarding, Activity, and Retention. When it comes to recruitment, this refers to the importance of addressing unconscious bias, diversifying candidate pools, and avoiding hiring individuals that are like current employees. What else did we discuss? In terms of onboarding, she emphasises the need for diverse onboarding practices and fostering inclusion beyond the recruitment stage. This includes accommodating different perspectives and backgrounds. For more, visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 137

Released July 6, 2023

Kim Carpenter talks people-centric leadership and how it's good for business.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 136

Released June 29, 2023

This week's episode is all about my new PDF "The 5 Toughest Challenges for Young People" which is out this week.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 135

Released June 22, 2023

This week's guest is Dr Elizabeth Douglas

Elizabeth is a highly knowledgeable and experienced professional in the field of divorce and family law. She is an expert in helping couples navigate the complexities of divorce and providing guidance on effective communication and conflict resolution within relationships.

With her extensive expertise, she shares valuable insights on how to prevent divorce by establishing healthy communication habits and setting clear expectations in relationships. Her approach emphasizes the importance of transparency, planning, and mediation as alternatives to contentious divorce proceedings.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 134

Released June 15, 2023

Joseph VanDusen is on a mission to inspire and empower others to reach their full potential. He is a renowned speaker, author, and expert in the field of leadership and personal development.

With a background in the Air Force and extensive experience in both leadership and entrepreneurship, he brings a unique perspective and a wealth of practical knowledge to the table. Through his captivating speeches, thought-provoking books, and coaching sessions, he has touched the lives of countless individuals, helping them unlock their true potential and achieve greatness.

Known for his dynamic and engaging style, our speaker’s message centres around the concept of being elite in life and leadership. He firmly believes that each of us has the power to become the best version of ourselves and to lead with purpose and impact. He encourages us to embrace a target backwards mindset, set ambitious goals, and execute them with precision.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 133

Released June 8, 2023

I have recently been reading an excellent book. I stumbled across it because a client recommended it. It’s called ‘Stop Thinking, Start Living’, and it’s by Richard Carlson. It is in fact a few years old now having been written in the 1990s but is quite brilliant in its simplicity.

The essence of the book is that Richard believes those of us prone to thinking a lot may be at risk of encouraging mild to moderate depression. This is because our every moment is involved in thinking. Thinking isn’t a bad thing, or a problem if we are constructive about it. But instead, many of us are ruminators, prone to revisiting problems over and over. Looking for the answer within the problem he believes, does nothing more than deepen the discomfort of it for us. If anything, it positively promotes or deepens our troubles.

I go into this and more on this week's show.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Stop Thinking, Start Living : Discover Lifelong Happiness

Episode 132

Released May 30, 2023

Welcome to this week's episode with Michelle and Jacques Du Plessis

They are a remarkable couple who embarked on a transformative journey from being professional Architects in South Africa to successful entrepreneurs in the digital construction industry in the UK.

Michelle and Jacques Du Plessis are founders of www.maketheshft.digital. Their story is a testament to courage, resilience, and the pursuit of finding fulfilment beyond the confines of their previous careers.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 131

Released May 25, 2023

Welcome to episode 131 with Yaron Been

Yaron is a growth coach and consultant with a background in ecommerce.

He and his wife started an ecommerce business after traveling in Southeast Asia and realizing they wanted to find a way to make money online.

He worked as a media buyer and spent around a million dollars a month on Facebook ads.

Yaron’s ecommerce store sold over $4 million worth of products and was primarily based in the UK.

He now provides growth consulting and coaching to established ecommerce businesses, focusing on improving conversion rates and average order value.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 130

Released May 18, 2023

Paul Ter Wal is the guest this week.

Hailing all the way from Holland, Paul – a former lawyer – works with "preventative healthcare" in business at Team Andare. He discusses on the show how businesses need to work harder to take care of employees by fostering core values that are align with staff. For Paul, preventative healthcare comes from good business leadership and in turn this, when grounded in healthcare, leads to increased profits and productivity.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 129

Released May 11, 2023

The week’s episode features a conversation with Peter Voss, who is an expert in artificial intelligence.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 128

Released May 4, 2023

Welcome to episode 128 with Le-an Lai

Le-an started working from home at the age of 15, doing various tasks such as ghost-writing, graphic design, and marketing work

After experiencing a near-death typhoon, she realized that she did not want to follow the traditional Asian path of becoming a lawyer and working overseas like her parents and vowed to pursue her passion of writing and find a job online.

On the show, Le-an talks about the business system she developed and encourages her clients to adopt.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 127

Released April 26, 2023

This week's guest is Adeline Tiah. She is passionate about building brands and high-performance teams.

Over the last 20 years, Adeline has earned her stripes in marketing across different industries from retail, tech, banking and more recently in fintech/startup. Along the way she got herself certified as a Leadership coach and a Human Centred Design Practitioner.

Adeline shares her story and talks about her new book about thriving in the workplace.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 126

Released April 19, 2023

Welcome to this week's guest Steve Martile

Steve, who used to be a mechanical engineer for 13 years, nowadays helps entrepreneurs build their businesses and recently wrote “The Seven Day Manifestation Experiment.”

On the show he talks about how after he quit his engineering job he started practicing the law of attraction by visualising himself in a job he loved and enjoyed. The impact of this has driven the success of his business and is at the very core of his new book.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 124

Released April 13, 2023

William Buist is a business mentor who has been working with small business owners for over 20 years to help them build better businesses. He believes that the key to building a successful business is intentional mastery, which is a journey of constant learning and improvement.

On the show, William discusses the five stages he has identified to the journey of intentional mastery – explore, hone, practice, expert, and mastery – and a range of business strategies that help entrepreneurs build better businesses.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 124

Released April 6, 2023

This week's guest is Brandi Molitor

Brandi started off as a health and wellness advocate and educator before transitioning into the world of business. She has been an executive level business and health coach for two decades. She mentors high-achieving leaders helping them to fall back in love with their businesses and lives.

On the show, Brandi discusses the signicance of being courageous in work andlife – and doing what you really want to.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production by Jon Buscall - www.jonbuscall.com

Episode 123

Released March 30, 2023

This week's guest is St John Craner

As Managing Director of Agrarian, St John trains rural companies on how to generate more qualified leads and close more sales using proven tools and techniques, systems, and strategies

On this week's show we discuss St John’s belief that “psychology is a sales superpower if you master it well.”

St John unpacks how important it is to understand a buyer’s brain and discusses how salespeople can come off as self-serving and what you as an entrepreneur can do to overcome this.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 122

Released March 23, 2023

This week's guest is Mickie Kennedy

Mickie is an experienced podcast guest, bringing a positive, matter-of-fact style on a range of subjects including, PR, Marketing and more.

Mickie created eReleases 20+ years ago to give small businesses access to the media and to a national newswire. eReleases helps small businesses, start-ups, and authors get website traffic and better-quality customers through coverage in the media. They write and distribute press releases to journalists, trade publications, and key industry influencers. This increases the visibility and credibility of your business, while bringing you more revenue from your dream clients.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 121

Released March 16, 2023

This week's guest is Ashley Quinto Powell. Ashley is a sales and revenue consultant. She’s also a keynote and TEDX speaker, author, and start-up founder. She is a self-professed champion of mums, and a relentless supporter of entrepreneurs.

Ashley is passionate about Women in business “having it all without doing it all.”

On the show, she discusses the idea of the cultural expectation women have of doing everything and how this often leads to women taking on a lot more. They do this both physically and mentally.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 120

Released March 9, 2023

This week's guest is Tom Schwab.

Tom runs Interview Valet, a platform that matches businesses with the right podcasts so they can turn listeners into customers. Interview Valet is the most trusted partner in the industry and the leader in Podcast Interview Marketing (PIM). They help businesses leverage targeted podcast interviews to talk directly to ideal customers. Podcast guest appearances are a cost-effective, fast, and scalable way to reach a business’s ideal prospects.

The show looks at the power of podcasting and the way it can drive interest in your business and services.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 119

Released March 2, 2023

Welcome to episode 119 with guest Evan Tzivanakis

Evan is an award winning accredited executive coach, L&D specialist, management consultant, and online visiting lecturer at the EU Business School, in Switzerland.

On the show, we discuss how team building is often misunderstood by leaders and that in fact it is often not the team that needs to bond with each other, but the leader needing to bond with each member.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 118

Released February 23, 2023

This week's guest is Julian Roberts.

Julian is an Executive Leadership Coach with a background in commercial and sales. He is passionate about people, resiliency, and business. Julian has worked with a number of multinational corporations such as Heinz, Yoplait, and Johnson & Johnson, as well as for family-owned businesses.

On this week's show we discuss the power and significance of purpose and how this benefits both team resilience and individual resilience.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 117

Released February 16, 2023

This episode is recorded by me because it's a topic which is very close to my heart. Anyone listening who has ever struggled with their weight, would be able to understand what a really difficult process it can be.

The episode is based on a book I have been listening to called 'Why we eat too much' by Dr Andrew Jenkinson. it's an absolutely excellent book which he encourages you to listen to from beginning to end.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 116

Released February 9, 2023

Maria Bryceland is a corporate culture and leadership coach based in Manchester. She has experience across several sectors and industries, including B2B and B2C, at executive and board level. Maria is passionate about supporting businesses to transform their culture and helping leaders to thrive.

Maria believes that extraordinary cultures drive sustainable growth. Building an extraordinary culture in your business will drive productivity, profitability and, ultimately, further your success.

To learn more, visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 115

Released February 2, 2023

This week's guest is Fitz Koehler.

Fitz is a fitness innovator who has been teaching fitness around the globe for decades. She specialises in fitness education via mass media and fitness programming for children.

Fitz shares her personal story on the show, taking us back to 2019 when she was diagnosed with advanced, aggressive breast cancer that had progressed to her lymphatic system. Throughout her treatment Fitz refused to let her career end, instead she made choices to work through the side effects of the surgeries, radiotherapy and chemotherapy in order to continue with her work. She tripled her business as her result and that was despite her 15-month cancer battle!

For more, visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 114

Released January 26, 2023

Welcome to this week's episode with guest Tony Martignetti.

Tony is a leadership coach, entrepreneur, idea generator, and a curious adventurer. He brings his experience and formal training together to help elevate and equip leaders with the tools to navigate through change.

Tony’s mission is guiding leaders who want to have a meaningful impact. He wants to help them lead with purpose and feel fulfilled. Check out the full-show notes at www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 113

Released January 19, 2023

This week's guest is Jessica Fialkovich.

Jessica is an expert on exiting a business. She’s a best-selling author, speaker, and small business advocate. When she sold her first business a decade ago, she had no idea where to start. So, she went on the hunt for information. Fortunately, she was able to exit successfully, then bought her next business – a brokerage office.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Released January 12, 2023

Episode 112

Welcome to another year and another season of The Executive Edge podcast.

This week's guests is author and category designer Kevin Maney. On the show, Kevin discusses how category design helps businesses idenitify what kind of products to build, how to go to market, and how to pitch to investors.

For more, visit www.suefirthltd.com. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 111

Released December 13, 2022

This week's guest is Bill Murphy. His book, “Thriving in the Storm: Nine Principles to Help You Overcome Any Adversity”, details how he overcame countless obstacles and turned them into big successes. He believes when the storm hits, you have three choices: give up and become a victim, do what you can to survive, or learn to thrive!

To learn more, visit: www.suefirthltd.com Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 110

Released December 7, 2022

Nowadays, young people seem less well-equipped to handle what life throws at them. Research shows that they are experiencing more mental health difficulties, particularly because of Covid. They might be capable, have plenty of knowledge and information, but it feels as if something's missing. So on this week's show, the focusis on the life skills – or tools for life – that young people need.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more. Also, connect with Sue on: * LinkedIn * YouTube * Twitter Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 109

Released December 1, 2022

This week's guest is educator and former teacher coach Michael Sonbert. Michael talks about the mindset and skills business leaders need to build a thriving culture within their organisation.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 108

Released November 24, 2022

Liz Kislik, a management consultant and executive coach based in New York, discusses how we can maximise our capacity to be good leaders, no matter the industry we work in.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 107

Released November 17, 2022

Welcome to episode 107 with Richard Newman, founder of Bodytalk.

Richard is an award-winning expert in leadership communication, storytelling, and influence. Working in advanced communication since 1995, Richard specialises in showing leaders how to speak with greater impact and influence. He is regularly featured on BBC London Radio and is the author of the best-selling book ‘You were Born to Speak.’

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 106

Released November 10, 2022

Welcome to episode 106 with Helen Appleby . Helen is a British, New York-based, executive coach and women’s leadership trainer. She is also a speaker, and author. Prior to becoming a full-time coach, Helen was a VP and Global Business Leader for GlaxoSmithKline.

On the show Helen discusses the story behind her book “The Unwritten Rules of Women’s Leadership”. She talks about how women can navigate the business world and be more successful. Her approach is to help provide women with the self-awareness, confidence, and tools to lead yourself.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

The Unwritten Rules of Women's Leadership: Step into your power, write your own rules and succeed in your career

Episode 105

Released November 3, 2022

This week's guest is Rosie Zilinskas – a businesswoman, thought-leader, speaker, and podcast host on a mission to eradicate the gender gap in the corporate world by empowering women in their career development.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 104

Released October 27, 2022

This week's guest is Jim Downes, founder and CEO of Blueprint CFO, which focuses on improving companies’ accounting and strategic planning processes.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Welcome to Episode 103 with Carla Fowler. Carla runs a business called THAXA – an executive coaching firm that helps people achieve big goals through performance science.

Carla has a background in medicine and science but has always had an interest in exploring how you can operate at a higher level and improve what you do.

This weeks show looks at how the mechanisms of the brain and distractions can really impact our brutal focus and subsequent performance. Mental clarity and focus is fundamental to success.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Epsiode 102

Released October 13, 2022

Welcome to episode 102 with Oliver Duffy Lee. Ollie runs a business called The Authority Agency

Having always worked in the world of agencies (marketing/Ads/digital/branding) since leaving university 4 years ago, Ollie started his own business. He called it The Authority Agency. His business works in two ways. Their coaching programme helps smaller agencies learn how to grow their marketing and sales aspect of businesses. This is so that there is more time for delivery and service to clients. For larger agencies, they take on their business and marketing agenda running it for them. Ollie is an expert at getting agency’s clients this way.

Discover more of what Ollie has to say on this week's show.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 101

Released October 6, 2022

Welcome to episode 101 of my podcast, The Executive Edge, with Peg O’Connor.

Peg is a Professor of Philosophy and Gender, Women and Sexuality studies at Gustavus Adolphus College, Minnesota.

She and I connected because we were introduced to each other, and I invited her on to the show because of her work on addiction. Although I seldom come across someone I would say is addicted to alcohol, I did want to explore the subject. This is because I regularly meet people who are by their own admission, abusing it.

For more, visit www.suefirthltd.com

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 100

Released September 2, 2022

Welcome to the 100th episode of the show where we look back at some of the things we've learned, but also look to the future.

Much of what I write about and interview people for, is to promote positive wellbeing, good health and the drive and focus to push ourselves forward in life. This is a skill, or maybe a set of skills and it takes practice. You don’t have to get it right first time, or even every time, but picking yourself up and going for it again is part of life and important for elite performers.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 100

Released September 2, 2022

Welcome to the 100th episode of the show where we look back at some of the things we've learned, but also look to the future.

Much of what I write about and interview people for, is to promote positive wellbeing, good health and the drive and focus to push ourselves forward in life. This is a skill, or maybe a set of skills and it takes practice. You don’t have to get it right first time, or even every time, but picking yourself up and going for it again is part of life and important for elite performers.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 99

This week’s guest is Stephanie Blake.

Steph helps women to scale their service-based business, and overcome the mental and physical blocks that get in the way of success. As she says on the show: “Just because you have a service-based business, it doesn’t mean you have to work 24/7.”

On the show, Steph outlines part of her model for how to scale a business as well as talking in depth about the emotional struggles and challenges we face as entrepreneurs.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 99

This week’s guest is Stephanie Blake.

Steph helps women to scale their service-based business, and overcome the mental and physical blocks that get in the way of success. As she says on the show: “Just because you have a service-based business, it doesn’t mean you have to work 24/7.”

On the show, Steph outlines part of her model for how to scale a business as well as talking in depth about the emotional struggles and challenges we face as entrepreneurs.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 98

Released September 15, 2022

Psychology coach, therapist, speaker, author, and mental health expert Mandy Morris is this week's guest.

Mental health and success in business have a correlation and the better you are doing physically and emotionally the more likely you are to thrive in business. Mandy discusses how supporting executives to break through mental barriers, is a good thing. It is healthy for people to have a coach, although some people may not want to reach out for help.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: Jon Buscall

Episode 98

Released September 15, 2022

Psychology coach, therapist, speaker, author, and mental health expert Mandy Morris is this week's guest.

Mental health and success in business have a correlation and the better you are doing physically and emotionally the more likely you are to thrive in business. Mandy discusses how supporting executives to break through mental barriers, is a good thing. It is healthy for people to have a coach, although some people may not want to reach out for help.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: Jon Buscall

Episode 97

Released September 8, 2022

An interview with Sam Gormley from Osaka Labs.

The London-based company have been shining the light of digital marketing on brands by activating unique stories through the blending of data and creativity, radically shaking up the marketing landscape, making it THE place for experimentation and elevation.

Show notes available here.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 97

Released September 8, 2022

An interview with Sam Gormley from Osaka Labs.

The London-based company have been shining the light of digital marketing on brands by activating unique stories through the blending of data and creativity, radically shaking up the marketing landscape, making it THE place for experimentation and elevation.

Show notes available here.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 96

Released September 1, 2022

Leadership communication expert Robert Kennedy III discusses how, when presenting to an audiene, we need to figure out how to engage the brains of our audience.

Sue and Robert go on to discuss how important good communication is in business, especially when disseminating difficult information. People can get stressed quickly when they hear a message that might impact them, so doing this effectively helps.

For more, check out the show notes.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 96

Released September 1, 2022

Leadership communication expert Robert Kennedy III discusses how, when presenting to an audiene, we need to figure out how to engage the brains of our audience.

Sue and Robert go on to discuss how important good communication is in business, especially when disseminating difficult information. People can get stressed quickly when they hear a message that might impact them, so doing this effectively helps.

For more, check out the show notes.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 95

Released August 24, 2022

This week's guest is Jeremy Miner, chairman of 7th Level – a global sales and training company. He is also a contributor to INC magazine, and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Entrepreneur Magazine.

On the show, Jeremy discusses the mistakes entrepreneurs, executives, and business owners make when trying to sell.

For show notes, visit www.suefirthltd.com

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 94

Released August 17, 2022

This week's guest is Brandon Leibowitz from digital marketing company SEO Optimizers.

Check out the full show notes here.

Or visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 93

Released August 11, 2022

Executive coacch Susan Barber – author of The Visibility Factor – discusses how she coaches leaders on how to be more visible in their careers.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for full episode show notes.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episdoe 92

Released August 4, 2022

An interview with Laurent Notin. Laurent works directly with entrepreneurs and has discovered 3 key symptoms that demonstrate how they have become the bottleneck in their business.

Visit here for full show notes.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 91

Released July 28, 2022

An interview with Carl Fischer, former rocket scientist and now thriving in the real estate business.

Carl talks at length about how to navigate the real estate market if you're looking to invest and discusses how owning property can be the most cost-effective way to build wealth.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 90

Released July 21, 2022

An inteview with award-winning entrepreneur Alexis Kingsbury.

The episode looks at ways in which businesses should look at their systems and processes in order to be successful.

For full show notes, please visit the website or www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 89

Released July 14, 2022

This week's guest is business coach Tracy Beavers. Tracy has more than twenty years’ experience in sales and marketing and as the owner of three businesses, she understands the rollercoaster of being an entrepreneur.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com/episode89 for show notes.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 88

Released July 5, 2022

This week's guest is Nick Jonsson, author of "Executive Loneliness".

For this week's show notes, visit: www.suefirthltd.com/episode_88 for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 87

Released June 30, 2022

An interview with Dr Delia McCabe

Delia discusses how our brain functions and what it needs in terms of nutrition. She then outlines why and how we need to take better control of our intake of sugar.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more show notes.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 85

Released June 16, 2022

This week's guest is Ken Cook. Ken owns The Prepared Group wherein he licenses agents, who consult with other business. His approach has developed a template that gives a client step by step ways to make progress and build a bigger, and better business. He’s done this very successfully both with his own companies and those he’s helped.

In this episode of the show, Ken talks marketing strategy, marketing strategy and discusses the mindset that often leads businesses to struggle with marketing.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 84

Released June 9, 2022

This week's guest is Danae Shell, co-founder and CEO of Valla, the first legal platform for employees and has been awarded as a “Disruptive Innovator” and “Rising Star” in the tech industry. She is a developer-turned marketer and a Tennessean who has worked in Scotland's start-up scene for over 17 years.

Danae shares her story and discusses how Valla helps people represent themselves in legal situations.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 83 Released June 2, 2022

This week's guest is Jennifer Peavey.

Jennifer and I spent time in this episode discussing burn out; what it is, and how to prevent it.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 82 Released May 26, 2022

Why do we push ourselves so hard? To help us answer this question is executive and career-life coach Randi Roberts.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for the full show notes.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 81

Released May 18, 2022

This week's guest is Marie-Claire Ross, a consultant who works to help leadership teams, project teams and leaders to build cohesive teams.

On the show, Marie-Claire discusses the significance "trust" has in the workplace and just how important it is for building, not only successful teams, but successful businesses.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episoe 80

Released May 12, 2022

This episode was recorded because I wanted to discuss some of the key messages from a book called High Performance – Lessons from the best on becoming your best. It’s by Jake Humphrey and Professor Damian Hughes.

Some of the key points I make in this episode revolve around the authors' belief that your mindset impacts behaviour. This in turn affects the Team behaviour you have. Ultimately in the case of a leader, this will impact the business too.

For the full show notes, visit my website.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 79

Released May 5, 2022

This week's guest is Marisa Zalabak, a professional speaker and educational psychologist, who talks about how adaptive leaders handle change in an ever-changing environment. This is especially relevant post Covid.

See the full episode show notes.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 78

Released April 28, 2022

This week's guest is leadership coach Melissa Boggs.

On the show Melissa talks about what leadership looks like after the pandemic.

Commited to encouraging businesses to bridge the gap between the executive team at the top and the rest of the business, she outlines how business should be putting their efforts and resources into ‘building an employee experience’.

Show notes.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode #77

Released April 21, 2022

This week's guest is Julie Holunga, who talks about helping leaders take command of their careers. On the show, Julie outlines how we can use language in ways that will help us lead with influence and authority.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 76 Released April 14, 2022 This week's guest is Carol Harris www.carolharris.uk

For more show notes, please visit: www.suefirthltd.com/the-science-of-nlp-success

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 75 Released April 6, 2022

This week's guest is Daniel Tolson. Daniel is an expert in understanding how we get ‘stuck’; repeated loss, disappointment, and many traumas of his own put him in the unique position of understanding this.

On the show Daniel explains how emotional intelligence reframes experiences. He goes on to talk about how how the regulation of your own mood and emotions is vital to well-being.

Episode 74

Released March 31, 2022

This week's guest is Lesley Michaels

Lesley regularly works with clients she coaches to help them make progress in their careers. We all struggle with something at some point in our lives. Perhaps it’s an issue of gender inequality, or a perceived ceiling we think is holding us back. In Lesley’s long career, she’s experienced many of these issues, and has a lot of solid advice and common sense, to offer. We discuss this on the show.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 73

Released March 24, 2022

My guest this week is Scott Rossignol who is the Principal at a school in the US. EdAdvance is a Regional Education Service Centre and it's dedicated to supporting children with challenging needs.

Scott recently published a great book, 'Help from the Principal's Office', Parenting advice when your kids have trouble at school and at home.

On the show, we discuss the book and how best to handle challenging children.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 72

Released March 17, 2022

This week's guest is Sarah Burrows, a coach who is passionate about helping people change career and finding a role that is suited to them.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for full show notes.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 71

Released March 10, 2022

Ruth Yunker is this week's guest. Ruth talks about learning to love who we are and not letting age define us. She espouses the virtues of how to age well, stay active and that living a positive, effective, and happy life, is within reach of us all.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 70 Released March 3, 2022

Dr Eric Plasker returns to talk about how we age and if it is all a great big lottery, or do we have any influence on that as an experience.

Eric runs a business as a successful Chiropractor, author, and podcaster. He has written several books and his website is www.the100yearlifestyle.com

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
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Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 69

Released February 24, 2022

This week is part 2 of a mini series I’ve devised exploring how psychology can be applied to life and work.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

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* LinkedIn
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Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 68

Released February 16, 2022

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
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Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 67

Released February 9, 2022

Alison Ver Halen is this week's guest.

Alison talks about why content marketing is of value to any business, and how we can all benefit from getting to grips with it.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 66

Released February 3, 2022

This week's guest is Nicki Eyre from http://www.conductcoaching.com

Nicki shares her story about bullying in the workplace. She then goes on to talk about why companies need to better understand how to prevent bullying.

For more, visit www.suefirthltd.com

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 65

Released January 27, 2022

Life coach Eric Bedel shares his journey from being bullied as a child to being a successful coach.

Talking about the life experiences that broke him down, Eric gives an insight into the lessons and wisdom he learned that have helped him achieve balance, peace and clarity of direction.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for more.

Or connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
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Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 64

Released January 20, 2022

I asked Jeffrey on to the show because he talks about purpose in life. Many of us probably got asked this question when we were younger, “what do you want to do, or be” but not many of us ask it again when we get older. Or take the time to reflect on what it means when something just doesn’t feel right for us in life, or the work we’re doing.

Tuning in to our feelings like this may seem unusual, but it’s vital at times. Jeffrey feels we all have a major life purpose and listening to our intuition is part of this.

Discover more on this week's show... And don't forget to check out the full show notes.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 63

Released January 13, 2022

This week's guest is Kathleen Healy.

I asked Kathleen on to the show because I know how typical it is that we start January feeling fed up when we’ve over indulged over Christmas. Or, we decide to follow one more round of New Year’s resolutions.

It isn’t that we’re not committed, I believe in setting goals at any time of year, but when it comes to dieting, the whole concept feels fraught with stress.

So Kathleen and I discuss how she decided to stop after filling her trolley with another load of supplements in the hope they would help her drop the pounds. Instead, she chose to eat well and go on a journey which she’ll tell you about.

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Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 62

Released December 16, 2021

It’s great to come online again and say ‘hi. It’s my custom to do this every now and then and I’m doing so today because I’m recommending a few things prior to the end of the year.

I’m going to suggest 6 tips therefore to support your review of the year, what you’ve learnt about yourself and what you do. Then I’ll cover a positive way to begin the start of next year.

*

I hope you’ve enjoyed the podcast series and that you get as much pleasure from listening to it as I do from recording it. You can hear more episodes by subscribing to the podcast or searching on all the major platforms, including Spotify, Google, iTunes and iHeart.

For more, visit: www.suefirthltd.com

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
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Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 61

Released December 8, 2021

This week's guest is Tracy Enros. Tracy had a great job and was flying high until the property crash some years ago. It was a difficult time for her, but she credits it with the opportunity to learn how to use LinkedIn for the business she went freelance for. Ultimately, she began to offer her advice and consultancy to others so that they could learn valuable tips and tools too.

On this week's show, Tracy shares her insights into making LinkedIn really work for you and your business.

For more, visit: www.suefirthltd.com

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 60

Released December 2, 2021

Elizabeth Bachman is a trained opera director and worked with many great singers, including Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo. On this week's show I talk to her about how her background had helped her in business.

Elizabeth feels that singers are entrepreneurs and just like anyone else in business, they needed to have a ‘vision’ of where they want to go and what this looks like.

She has taken her skills and experience as an opera director and applied it to business, specifically to help women achieve greater success. This isn't exclusively for women as standing up for what you value and self-promotion, are skills everyone would do well to master.

Connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
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Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 59

Released November 25, 2021

This week's guest is Devin Miller.

Devin is a patent and trademark attorney and I asked him on to the show because I was interested in when and how we need to protect our intellectual property. Devin did a great job of explaining the difference between the 3 main methods.

A patent protects a physical object that does something; it makes, fixes, or produces another object. Trade marks are used when you want to protect your brand, and copyright when you have created something e.g., a model, approach, or design.

My feeling is that many of us are solopreneurs, or we go in to business as start-ups but don’t think enough about two things: firstly, how to protect ideas or approaches we have, and secondly, what we ultimately want the business to be.

For more insight into knowing when (and when not) to patent, use a trademark or copyright your work, check out the show.

Connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
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Or visit her website for more podcasts and shownotes.

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Released November 18, 2021

Episode 58

In this episode I am joined by Elizabeth Wright who started her VA business in 2016. Only 5 years later she developed a small team and moved in to offices to separate business and her personal life

Elizabeth always knew she wanted to do that and worked hard to set goals for herself that both motivated and encouraged her. She shares her experiences of the trials and tribulations of what it’s like to start your own business too, and how great that freedom can feel at first. The trouble is, many of us don’t realise the effort involved.

On show, Elizabeth's shares her best tips when starting a business.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for all the show notes.

Connect with Sue on:

LinkedIn
YouTube
Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 57

Released November 10, 2021

Jennifer Thornton is this week's guest. Jen talks about something she calls the ‘talent cliff’. It’s really about how we are wired with the future in mind all the time, and our decisions are often based on what will happen then. We plan and put together strategies on that basis, but the difficulty is holding on to our talented staff so that they stay with us and grow alongside. Neglecting them she feels, however accidentally, can lead to the loss of members of our ‘A’ team who have helped us get where we are in the first place. It can really help to encourage a learning culture so that everyone feels nurtured and has the potential to develop at a rate and pace they can manage.

For more, visit: www.suefirthltd.com

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
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* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 56

Released November 4, 2021

This week on The Executive Edge podcast, I'm joined by Deanna Bryant.

Deanna is a midlife marriage strategist. She is a coach for couples who want to cultivate new meaning and a deeper intimacy with their spouse now the kids are more independent or even grown. It’s her passion to help couples to experience the relationship they imagined for the second half of life.

Deanna's words aren't solely directed at those in mid life. She also outlines how we can prepare to build lasting relationships at any age.

If you enjoy The Executive Edge, why not connect with me on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 55

Released October 28, 2021

On this week's show I have Stephanie Slocum who founded Engineers Rising. She has extensive experience of supporting women in to technical areas as well as encouraging them to stay. Stephanie is on a mission to normalize engineering, technology, science, and math (something she refers to as STEM). She feels there are not enough women in these fields and particularly in leadership positions.

She helps women become influential leaders while having a life. Stephanie also helps organizations committed to gender equity in STEM, create work environments that retain and engage their women.

This was the main issue we discussed during this episode. |Young people can be encouraged in to the fields but even after they’ve completed their degrees, they may not continue on to work. When they do start work, the drop out rate can be as high as 50%...

For more visit the show notes:

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
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Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 54

Released October 21, 2021

This week's guest is Andrew Bull www.interstellarway.life

With a background was in the film industry Andrew learned a lot about teamwork, and especially what made a team work well. He refers to himself as a Team and Culture specialist, and on the show he talks about building teams to thrive and succeed.

For more show notes, please visit: https://suefirthltd.com/how-to-have-a-high-performing-team/

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 53

Released October 14, 2021

I am primarily an expert in Stress and have supported Executives both as a professional speaker, and 1:1 adviser, for 30 years.

On this week's show I talk about stress management in detail. It’s an essential life skill and something a lot of us don't have time to better understand let alone work through.

I hope that this week's show, complete with tips and guidelines on what actionable steps you can take to reduce the stress in your life.

Visit suefirthltd.com

Connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 52

Released October 6, 2021

This week's guest is Phil Pelucha, who describes himself as a growth strategist. He runs a company aptly named ‘Billionaires in Boxers’ (www.billionairesinboxers.com).

On the show, Phil shares his main strategies for growth and in particular, how to profit from a podcast or suitable online media.

For the full show notes, links, etc, just visit this week's show notes.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 51

Released September 29, 2021

Carrie Morey is a working mum with 3 girls. She began her business with her mother Callie. Although Callie had a catering company at the time, it was Carrie who thought she could market and promote quality biscuits. This was because there was no-one else doing this in her part of the US at the time – and particularly online.

On the show Carrie talks about how she saw a gap in the market and subsequently took the business to significant growth with 70 employees in 16 years since it began in 2005. Now she has a thriving brand with 4 outlets and a mobile food truck.

Check out www.suefirthltd.com for full show notes and other episodes of the show.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 50

Released September 23, 2021

Rick Heyland is a successful consulting Executive who has built a business and sold it. With an MBA and many years’ experience, his business emphasises the importance of continuous improvement and small business success. He has written a white paper called ‘The 7 strategies for small business to solve the biggest challenges of 2021’ and that forms the starting point for the discussion on this week's show.

See the full show notes.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 49

Released September 15, 2021

Amy Rose Herrick is a chartered financial consultant. On this week's show she talks to Sue about her new ebook: ‘The Power of 10’.

The Power of 10 refers to is that any action you take (because it costs you something as an initiative), needs to be multiplied by the costs of doing this same action for the next 10 years. When you look at all your costs through this lens, it brings a rather revealing and refreshing view into focus!

See Sue's website for full show notes.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 48

Released September 9, 2021

Lou Everett, and Sherri McManus, husband and wife team from The Lou Everett Group are this week's guests.

Sherri McManus talks about the experiences that lead her to leave the business she worked for and start work as a consultant and trainer.

This often happens, it seems, because someone has an entrepreneurial idea and wants to go it alone. But, in Lou and Sherri’s case, it was also because she found herself exhausted by mismanagement of the team she was in.

Lou worked for the company too in a leadership role. Despite this apparent ability to influence things, he found it equally difficult to alter their work practices. The two of them share their story of how they decided to offer training, coaching, and speaking, to teach better ways to communicate and prevent a toxic culture.

For the full show notes, click here.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 47

Released September 2, 2021

Tom Kereszti joins the podcast to talk about his book "C-Suite and Beyond, the 4 keys to leadership success".

In particular, Tom talks about what we need to do to become successful and a strong, capable leader.

Tom’s expertise and coaching concentrates on helping people realise their ‘sweet spot’ is the cross-over between 3 concentric circles. These are about identifying who you are, what you’re passionate about, and what you’re good at. Recognising this, says Tom, is the first and most valuable step.

For more show notes, visit: www.suefirthltd.com

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 46

Released August 26, 2021

This week's guests is Jan Hoath, who talks about JOY www.janhoath.com

Jan's message is to encourage leaders to understand and embrace the powerful benefits of experiencing joy. It may seem easy to do, but I don't believe it is. Many Executives I work with are adrenaline junkies and want to push hard at life without ever really stopping. This becomes a deeply ingrained habit often sacrificing joy in the process. It can cause stress for some people, because they don’t take much down time or stop working. Jan’s message is about building joy in to your life so that it becomes a priority rather than a secondary benefit from achieving something.

Read the full show notes at: www.suefirthltd.com

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 45

Released August 19, 2021

Welcome to episode 45 of The Executive Edge. This week's guest is Laura Miller who runs Tempdev. Tempdev help customers in the US healthcare sector maximize the power of Health Information Technology through efficient workflows, innovative solutions, and dynamic collaborations.

Laura became a computer engineer and worked with someone there she felt helped shape her career. Having a mentor like that gave her direction, guidance, and advice. Then, when she could, she started her own business. Her parents were in Healthcare and although that hadn’t occurred to Laura initially, she started designing tech solutions to healthcare issues. Problems such as recording patients’ details, ensuring people paid up, and using templates to store information, were issues they struggled with.

For full show notes visit: www.suefirth.com

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 44

Released August 12, 2021

Karena visits the show to discuss positive mindset and why we struggle with being ourselves in life. Many of us find it difficult to do this. Some of the reason for that is because it’s difficult to learn to be ourselves. If that sounds profound, I think that’s because it probably is! Being young and still developing self esteem is a process, and often we become wired to please others instead.

For full show notes, visit www.suefirthltd.com

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 43

Released August 5, 2021

Talent retention expert Dr Troy Hall is the guest on this week's show. Troy talks about why generating a cohesive culture is important in business, adding considerable value.

Holding a PhD in Global Entrepreneurship, Hall believes there are three fundamental issues to consider:

a sense of belonging
feeling valued
and a shared mutual commitment.

For more, check out the show notes.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 42

Released July 29, 2021

In this week's show, Callie Blackwell talks about how she started to campaign for cannabis oil to be taken seriously as a medical treatment for pain and anxiety after it proved vital in the treatment of her son Deryn's cancer diagnosis.

For full show notes, please visit: www.suefirthltd.com/42

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
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Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 41

Released July 22, 2021

Christian ‘Boo’ Boucousis trained in the RAF and became a fighter pilot for a number of years. After being diagnosed with an auto-immune condition, he changed tracks and left his life as a pilot. He decided to set up a business in Kabul which became very successful, and he eventually went on to sell it, subsequently starting a variety of business ventures.

On the show, Christian gives an insight into how the mindset of a fighter pilot can be used as a pivotal approach to running a business.

For more, check out the show notes: www.suefirthltd.com

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 40

Released July 15, 2021

This week's guest is Karen Chaston. Karen has had an interesting life, spending time becoming a trained Accountant and senior CFO in a large corporate in Australia. Her life took a different turn though when she lost her son ten years ago. His unexpected death at 27 triggered a change but one she didn’t accept and act on until 15 months later. Her experience of similar and rapid change in her business, had the effect of pulling her up. This helped her realise how much she hadn’t dealt with.

On the show, Karen gives an insight into her personal philosophy for how we can live a meaningful life and how this aligns with our business career.

For show notes, visit: www.suefirthltd.com

.Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 39

Released July 8, 2021

This week's guest Oliver Carter joins the show to talk about 'comparisonitis' as she liked to call it. She feels many of us compare our success to that of other people, and inevitably feel we come up short in some way.

Olivia talks about strategies to avoid this and how we can take our business to the next level by overcoming those mind-forged manacles.

For full show notes, visit: www.suefirthltd.com

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 38

Released July 1, 2021

Alan Stevens is a profiling specialist. Based in Australia, he has been working with individuals and business for years.

His approach is to help people recognise the value of being able to ‘read’ other people. This includes their facial expressions, ingrained habits of behaviour, and how their body language indicates their mood. He feels this has value both in understanding what people need, instructing them when asking for work to be completed, and in sales.

Learn more by listening to our conversation on this week's show.

Also, check out the full show notes here.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 37

Released June 24, 2021

This week's guest, Rebecca Gebhardt, runs her own business and has recently completed a really valuable piece of research. As an expert in her own right, she was interested to review why people in Sales often don't lead well once promoted. She set out to discover the principal reasons for this and what she could recommend to business to improve this.

On this week's show, Rebecca discusses her findings and what this means for all kinds of businesses and the kind of training staff require.

For more, visit: the show notes

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Released June 16, 2021

Episode 36

Katherine Eitel Belt runs a business called www.lionspeak.com and has a background in dentistry as a Practice Manager Consultant. In latter years, she has developed a process she calls ‘The Lioness Principle’ which encourages people to apply tools to their communication process.

On this week's show, Katherine introduces the Lioness Principle and discusses ways in which you can communicate more effectively with your team.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 35

Released June 10, 2021

Caterina Kostoula is this week's guest. Caterina is the author of ‘Hold Successful Meetings’, which has already sold out on Amazon.

On the show, Caterina explains a system and process designed to improve business meetings. Called the 4D meeting framework, she recognises that many of the errors we typically find in poorly run meetings are because they lack structure. The way to start is to have an objective to work towards. ‘Why are you meeting and what do you want to achieve?’ Although this may seem simple, it is often overlooked in favour of sheer habit and requirement.

For more, please visit www.suefirthltd.com

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 34

Released June 3, 2021

This week the guests is Jaime Gennaro (www.practica.consulting), whose background is in her family business as well as start up’s, ad agencies and digital marketing.

On the show, Jamie discusses the importance of having the right mindset and knowing when to take risks.

For full show notes, visit: www.suefirthltd.com

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 33

Released May 27, 2021

Dr Eric Plaster, who is a successful chiropractor, author, and podcaster, is this week's guest.

Eric has written several books and tells us about his theory that we could all live to be 100. Or at least, that we should take charge of our lives so that we can live as long as possible.

For full show notes, visit: www.suefirthltd.com

You can find out more about Eric at www.the100yearlifestyle.com

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 32

Released May 20, 2021

This week's guest is emergency physician and athlete, Maureen Gibbons. Maureen runs her own business www.livehappyfirst.com and has written a book called ‘Happy First – How to win life in the moment at Home, the Gym and even in the Kitchen!”

Maureen is a busy person, working nights, juggling being a mom with her work and the multiple tasks a working mother must do. She’s also a triathlete and cares about her physique, health, and fitness. She’s worked out what she needs in order to manage all these demands. That is to be mindful of her nutrition, because she knows it helps her.

On the show, Maureen discusses how jugging multiple things to do in life – whether at a Hospital and home – has its similarities to running a business and a home.

For full show notes, please visit www.suefirthltd.com

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 31

Released May 13, 2021

In this week's show, I cover one of the subjects I have a real connection with and that’s habits that I think are either good for you, or desirable, whether in business or in life.

For full show notes, please visit the accompany page on my website.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
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* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 30

May 5, 2021

Brenton Webber is an expert in ensuring business achieves a positive customer experience. In this interview, he explains how he feels it’s desirable to do that. Business has long been transactional in nature as inevitably, something is bought or sold. However, he feels those company’s that pay attention to the customer journey, are more successful. Two examples supported this quickly. The first, is that customer driven companies are 1.9 times more likely to acquire new customers, and his story of a coffee shop proved his point well.

For more show notes, visit www.suefirthltd.com

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 29

Released April 29, 2021

This week's guest is international dating coach Lily Walford, who together with her parter, started Love with Intelligence.

On the show, Lily and Sue discuss how she began her business and how she came to realise many of us need help in this area.

Relationships are vital to all of us, but personal connections aren’t an automatically easy thing to get right. Many of us are attracted to someone but may not be able to ‘read’ when we’ve made a poor match. Or, we get in to the process of dating, but don’t pick up the warning signs. Lily did this herself so really understands how mistakes happen.

For the full show notes, visit the blog post that accompanies this episode.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 28

April 22, 2021

Eddie Campa, this week's guest, has a background in law enforcement where he spent 20+ years both in Deputy roles and as Chief of Police

He later went on to start two businesses of his own, becoming a thought leader, speaker, and author on the topic of Leadership.

Eddie’s success as a Chief of Police was to bring together disparate or minority factions where they were disillusioned, and life was tough.

On the show, he discusses how this experience has fed into his business ventures.

For the full show notes, visit the show website.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 27

Released April 15, 2021

Caroline Boudreaux started out over 20 years ago when she and a friend decided to travel. During their trip, they visited a young boy her friend had sponsored. Although Caroline was originally sceptical, she ended up experiencing a heartfelt moment that has driven her life ever since. She believed the best thing she could do was to save as many children as possible from this kind of life. In so doing, she enabled many to be adopted.

For more about Caroline's story, check out the show notes.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 26

Released April 8, 2021

This week's guest is Betsy Kauffman, a coach, speaker, author and TED talk presenter.

Betsy's TED talk, 4 ways to kickstart honest conversations at work, has been watched by over 1,000,000 people! This provides the starting point for what is an interesting conversation about the ways in which we can be honest when talking and overcome our anxiety and lack of confidence.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com for the full show notes.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 25

Released April 1, 2021

David Trotter, a Business Growth Consultant who has built several businesses as well as having been a Pastor for the last 10 years, is the guest on this week's show.

Based in California and running three parts to his business, David talks about the work he has been doing helping women. In particular, he describes a simple, but effective, four stage process he teaches people to help them succeed.

Visit www.suefirthltd.com/episode25 for the complete show notes

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 24

Released March 25, 2021

Hayley Koseoglu is this week's guest. Hayley is founder of Crystal Clean and now a Business Improvement Consultant. Hayley runs iekos, a consultancy based on her experience of running a successful service-based business.

Hayley talks about how it is essential to recognise mistakes are normal; she shares the story of her first mistakes – including spending all the vat money she made without realising it needed to be paid to HM Revenue within that quarter!

Visit the website for full show notes.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 23

Released March 18, 2021

Bharat Kanodia, is the guest this week. He specialises in valuing businesses and has worked in the industry since 2000. He has valued assets in real estate, personal property as well as financial assets in the Golden Gate Bridge, NYC subway and Las Vagas casinos.

We discuss what is involved when having your business valued: motives, approaches and how to have the right mindset as a business owner. Bharat also shares his experience from valuing across a variety of industries.

For the full show notes, read here.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 22

Released March 11, 2021

The guest on this week's show is Steve Gamlin (links in the show notes).

Steve shares his story of how he came to call his website Motivational Firewood and how he helps people understand the power of visual thinking.

He also shares the journey of how he came through difficulties in his own life, to emerge with a drive that helped him become a speaker and story teller.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 21

Released March 4, 2021

PR consultant Tracy Lamourie is the guest on this week's show. Tracy talks about how you can use PR in your business. She also talks about the difference between PR and Marketing.

As Tracy explains, Marketing is needed within a business. Marketing is selling your product, but public relations promote the person at the top who is part of the brand.

For shownotes, visit suefirthltd.com

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
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Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 20

Released February 25, 2021

This week's guest is Terry McDougall who is a coach and author working with Executives. Terry has her own business and a great book called ‘Winning the Game of Work’ available on Amazon.

In this episode Sue and Terry cover a lot of ground and some great tips of how to get your mojo back in business.

Visit Sue's website for full show notes.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 19

Released February 18, 2021

This week's guest is Karen Leland.

Karen runs a business called The Sterling Marketing Group.

She’s written 10 books and been a consultant with countless organisations.

The topic for this week's show is time management.

Karen's new book ‘No Nonsense Time Management’ is available on Amazon and it’s this one that we based our chat on today.

Full show notes are available here.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 18

Released February 11, 2021

This week's guest is Sherianna Boyle, an international, Emotional Detox Coach®, and author of eight books, including her most recent Emotional Detox and Emotional Detox for Anxiety.

Sherianna shares her insights into the importance of understanding, and handling anxiety.

For full show notes visit Sue's blog.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 17.

Released February 4, 2021

Robyn Odegaard is the guest on this week's show. She talks about Imposter Syndrome, the impact it has on us personally and in business, and how she has learnt to master it.

For full show notes, please visit Sue's website.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 16

Released: January 28, 2021

On this week's episode Sue talks to Mike Wilson of www.goexporting.com

Mike has been in business for some years and began his current company when he felt short of practical tips and a strategy to help him expand in to the export business. He realised there was a gap in the market and now supports companies with practical tools and tips to help them.

For the full show notes, visit Episode 16 on Sue's website.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 15

Released January 14, 2021

You may feel that success is difficult to achieve right now given the pandemic but not everyone or everything revolves around Covid.

Many of us want something else to think about. So in this episode Sue revisits some of the strategies she's coached clients to use and they have applied consistently. These strategies achieve change and yield results.

For full show notes, please visit Strategies for Success

Connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 14

Released January 7, 2021

First off, Happy New Year!

On this week's show Glen Daley, who runs Productive Workplaces and is a long-standing speaker on Leadership, talks about motivating others, sharing our vision and inspiring people to want to achieve the same vision in business together.

For full show notes, please visit this week's post.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 13

Released December 17, 2020

This week’s guest is Charlie Marsden, who runs a business called Proverb Media (www.proverbmedia.com). With a background in music, Charlie has always been interested in technology and music tech. He works hard to understand the kit he uses, and audio and video are his core areas of expertise.

On the show, Charlie discusses the importance of audio and visual content marketing.

For full show notes visit the website.

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 12

Released December 8, 2020

This week’s guest is John Hotowka, who started off life as an Optician. Having been made redundant 3 times in 7 years, he fell back on his hobby of being a magician. He chose to follow his passion and became a full-time professional.

On this week's show, John shares that story and how it has impacted the way he works in business, and how he’s learnt to bounce back or come back quickly from lows. An engaging, dynamic speaker, John talks about how he passes what he's learned on to others, and suggests ways in which listeners can start to be better business leaders.

For full show notes, visit: www.suefirthltd.com

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 11.

Released December 3, 2020

This week Deborah Turner is the guest. She has a strong drive to encourage women to make sure they’re ‘visible’ as many make the mistake of shrinking back and being less willing to share their success.

On the show, Deborah shares how it's perfectly possible to work well but if you don’t ‘shout’ about it then you can miss out on opportunities.

Not being ‘seen’ means you’re not front of mind when that promotion comes along.

Giving tips and advice, as well as sharing her own story, Deborah really shows you this week how you can promote yourself better in life and business.

For full show notes, visit: www.suefirthltd.com/

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 10

Released November 26, 2020

Dr Russell Thackeray is a Psychologist, trainer and author who runs a business called QED. He’s also trained as a Hypnotherapist

With a background as a musician, in leadership and running a training company, he has extensive experience with business. Now he spends time working with business in the field of resilience.

On this week’s show he shares his belief in Resilience and how it’s related to bouncing but it’s more about ‘bouncing forward’ rather than back. Instead, of surviving, you aim to thrive from situations even if they’ve gone wrong.

For full show notes, check out the blog post that accompanies this week's episode

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 9
Release November 19, 2020

Grant Leboff, who is a consultant, speaker, and author, is this week’s guest on The Executive Edge. Grant runs Sticky Marketing – a marketing company.

Grant knows a great deal about marketing, and given the pressure businesses are under in these Covid times, this interview is particularly relevant for people looking to understand how to market their skills and talents. Grant talks candidly about how he believes communication has fundamentally changed and the steps business owners need to be taking.

For more, check out the full Executive Edge show notes.

Get the full show notes here:

Also, connect with Sue on:
* LinkedIn
* YouTube
* Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

Episode 8

Maggie Semple is this week’s guest.

Maggie is a very successful business woman. She has an OBE and runs 2 businesses: the first, Maggie Semple, is a bespoke tailoring/ fashion company for business women. The second, is a consultancy, The Experience Corps Ltd – or TEC for short – that provides strategic advice and leadership development on diversity and inclusion.

She’s also a Non-Executive Director of Jamaica National Bank and sits on the Queen’s Counsel Selection Panel.

On the show, Maggie explains whey she believes action, rather than emotion, is the way to do something meaningful to tackle the lack of inclusion in business. She also discusses how building relationships and engendering trust is important.

Get the full show notes here.

Also, connect with Sue on:

LinkedIn
YouTube
Twitter

Podcast editing & production: @jonbuscall

This week's guest is Sarah Smith, Managing Director of Strategiq, an integrated marketing agency in the UK

Sue talks to Sarah about the challenges of building and running an agency, the benefits of a learning environment for staff, and the importance of a solid business plan.

For full show notes, visit: Episode 7

Also, connect with Sue on:

LinkedIn
YouTube
Twitter

Episode 6

The Alchemists Forum is a group based in Northern Ireland run by a long-standing friend of mine, Alan Branagh.

Alan has worked in business for many years, including with Avis and other large global corporations. He now runs this group and has begun a second called Emerging Alchemists, with direct reports in min

One of the main points Alan makes in this podcast, is the fact that sports people perform only about 5 % of the time and the rest of the time they practice. Working on their style, attitude, and the psychology of what they do. Executives on the other hand, don’t do this.

Throughout the show Alan talks about the importance of mindset and accountability.

Visit the website for full show notes.

Cindy Hesterman is the guest this week on The Executive Edge. Cindy is a long-standing Chair within Vistage –
the world’s largest CEO coaching and peer advisory organization.

On the show, Cindy discusses the problems that executives have in business and gives an insight into the significant role group membership can play in achieving success.

For full show notes, visit: Episode 5 show notes

Also, connect with Sue on:

LinkedIn
YouTube
Twitter

Episode 4:

Sue chats to Reg Athwal about leaving a legacy and what that means.

The conversation also turns to mastermind groups, including their value in helping people achieve goals and success.

For full show notes, visit: www.suefirthltd.com/04

Also, connect with Sue on:

LinkedIn
YouTube
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Lisa Smith from Smith Eliot, a financial planning company, visits the show to talk about how they use development plans for their teams, so that their people can aspire to be the best they can be. This includes training, exams and 1:1s.

Lisa also discusses how Smith Eliot cope with change, building the business together and promoting a genuine sense of family within the company.

For full show notes, visit the blog post for this week's episode.

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Episode 3:

Ian Surtees is Group Chief Executive of Vertas, a facilities management company based in Ipswich, Suffolk. In this, the 2nd episode of The Executive Edge, Ian talks about his team and how tough it’s been for them during Covid and in latter months.

The virus has affected Vertas because they are primary suppliers of a variety of services, including catering and waste management for schools. The business is owned by Suffolk County Council, and they employ approx. 3000 people.

On this week's show I explore the challenges of Covid and its impact on running a business.

For the show notes, visit the accompanying blog post.

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David Mitchell talks about success and how to handle difficult challenges during Covid Episode 1 of The Executive Edge welcomes David Mitchell, a long standing client of mine. David is an Accountant by profession with a background in corporate life until he decided to start his own business running a successful IT company with a friend, and his own private equity company called Traditum. In the show, David shares how he's learnt a lot in recent years including important lessons about his success, life and managing a very tough working day. Links: * Website * Podcast

My social links: * Twitter * Linkedin * YouTube

https://traditum.co.uk/