I’ve been running on autopilot lately, head down constantly focusing on the next task.  So I’ve taken a few days out at the end of my financial year to stop and do some reflection and I found it really powerful.  So in this episode of the Influence & Impact podcast, I thought I’d share some of the powerful questions I use to reflect and course-correct when I’ve been running on autopilot.

We’ll be exploring what success actually means to us, uncovering what’s driving our behaviour and how we can wake up to and enjoy the moment more.

The Meaning of Success

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier...

20 years ago I took on my first management role.  It was much more of a personal development journey than I ever imagined it would be because it triggered all of my doubts about myself, all my unhelpful stories and it highlighted how much I didn’t know.  I wished that management and my team members came with a manual I could read so I could do it right without risking making any mistakes.

In this episode I’m sharing the things I wish my 26 year old self had known about managing.  These are the things that would have made my life much easier and happier!  I hope they help you if you’re at the start of your management and leadership journey.

Book your spot on my FREE How To Be A Respected Leader without being any less likeable masterclass before 31 March here. 

Find out more about my Confidence to Lead programme for women in their first few years of management gain confidence, communicate more powerfully and make more impact at work at ...

In today’s episode of the Influence & Impact podcast for female leaders I’m talking to Fiona Buckland, author of the book Thoughtful Leadership.  Fiona’s book beautifully describes what it means to lead consciously and authentically with self-awareness.  We chat about why we need thoughtful leadership more than ever, how to lead yourself effectively and what it means to be an authentic leader.

Fiona is a life and leadership coach and facilitator, who supports people to be better leaders of themselves, so they can be the leaders our world needs. A Fulbright scholar with a Ph.D. from New York University, her clients include The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, Alexander McQueen, Viacom and Twitter.

In addition to her own private and corporate coaching practice, she also leads in-house leadership programmes, as well as public workshops and courses, Guardian Masterclasses on Inner Critics, Imposter Syndrome and Self-Direction, and has contributed to The...

This is part two of my series on perfectionism and overworking and in this episode of the Influence & Impact podcast I share with you 6 practical strategies you can start using today to help you become successful without breaking yourself in the process.

If you want to adopt a more sustainable and enjoyable way of working yet still get great results this episode is for you.

Find out more about my new Confidence to Lead programme for women in their first few years of management here.

 For years I thought that I was doing well in my career because I worked so hard and held myself to such high standards.  Then I realised that those strategies were actually causing as much harm as they were good.  I coach a lot of high achieving women, at all levels and perfectionism in its various guises, crops up all the time.  We may not consider ourselves to be perfectionists but often it looks like overworking, trying to be in control of everything in your life, procrastinating and fear of failure.  

In this episode of the Influence & Impact podcast I’d like to help you to identify and reflect on any unhelpful patterns you may have around perfectionism so that you can stop holding yourself to such impossibly high standards.

Click here if you’d like know more about my new Confidence to Lead programme helping women in their first few years of management gain confidence, improve communication and make more impact at work.

Starting a new organisation can be daunting at the best of times but starting as a leader when everyone is working remotely adds new levels of complexity.  So in this episode, I’m sharing my advice on how to start a leadership role in a new organisation.  I talk about being intentional about the impression you want to make, getting aligned on expectations, building relationships with key stakeholders, and much more.

Plus I’ve invited a special guest in for a chat about this topic too. Victoria Wickenden is a member of my Influence & Impact programme who started a leadership role during lockdown.  She shared her top tips in a brilliant article and I invited her on the podcast to talk about what she has learned from her experience and she shares some great insights and ideas.

You can read Victoria’s article here.

In this episode of the Influence & Impact podcast for female leaders I’m chatting to Lizzie Martin of Work Life Mother about how to return from parental leave with confidence and how as leaders we can support parents with this transition.

We talk about how you can prepare for your return, negotiation with your line manager, the skills we learn from parenting, and getting yourself back in the work mindset before you return. 

Lizzie is an executive coach, a former senior leader of 10 years within the retail space, mother to two sassy daughters, and founder of Work Life Mother. For the past 3 years, she has been working with individuals and organisations providing parental transition coaching - aimed to support any professional returning from a period of parental leave so that they can come back to work with confidence and impact.

Lizzie says “It was when I was on my first maternity leave that I truly understood the complexities of returning to work as a new...

Leadership is a delicate balance at the best of times, but no more so than when you’ve been promoted above your peers.  You may be experiencing all sorts of emotions, imposter syndrome could be in overdrive and in practical terms this is an awkward transition to manage. 

Whether you are friends with your new direct reports or have experienced tension with them in the past there are things you can do to make this transition smoother.  In this episode of the Influence & Impact for female leaders podcast I share practical tools and insights for managing your own emotions, holding honest conversations with your direct reports and creating your new team culture.

The doors to Influence & Impact, my 12 month group coaching programme for female leaders are now open.  Join me to tackle self-doubt, become brilliant at influencing and make more impact at work.  Find out more here

 I had a moment of feeling old this week when I realised that I’ve been working for 25 years now!  I like to think I’ve accumulated some wisdom along the way and I also know I have lots of new listeners to my podcast so I thought I would share the career lessons I’ve learned from 25 years of working and share a bit about my career journey in the process. 

 This is a really honest account of the ups and downs of my career and I hope that you’ll find something in here that resonates with where you are  now. 

 I talk about believing in yourself, choosing the job that’s right for you, communication challenges, perfectionism and the downside to letting your identity be defined by your work.

 The doors to Influence & Impact, my 12 month group coaching programme for female leaders are now open.  Join me to tackle self-doubt, become brilliant at influencing and make more impact at work.  Find out...

Let’s face it - lots of us are struggling with motivation at the moment.  Here in the UK we are in lockdown 3 and, even though there are plus points to working from home, the whole situation is challenging in so many ways.  In today’s episode of the Influence & Impact podcast I’m going to share how you can stay motivated in challenging times.  I’m sure you think a lot about keeping your team motivated but this one is for you.

You can now sign up for my free masterclass How To Be An Influential Leader without letting self-doubt hold you back.  Sign up here. 

 It is available until 7 February 2021 so be sure to watch it whilst you can.