Leaders in Conversation with Anni Townend

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence, care and courage in your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their personal inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Martin Glover, HR Director for Morton Fraser - Martin is an advocate for fairness, equity and leadership development…..Together we delve into:What he really cares about, his values and beliefs, his passion and purpose - who, what and where have shaped him - and how he lives these through his leadership : Why as leaders of organisations we should be prioritising Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging;Why targets in Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging aren't helping us get to where we need to be in organisationsAnd ask - Does improving diversity mean that inclusion and belonging will follow?Martin’s three key encouragements for people looking to develop their leadership, and to lead intentionally and deliberately for diversity, inclusion and belonging.Think about the experience you are trying to create in your organisation - what do you want people to think and feel about your business Hire for the why (the Vision) this ensures people are aligned to what your organisation is trying to achieve Develop your own curiosity for difference in people and think about the value broadened outlooks like this can add to what you are trying to achieveTo find out about more about Martin, about the firm, find and follow him on: www.morton-fraser.comLinkedIn: Martin GloverTo listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, [email protected] big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production.To contact me Anni Townend do email me on [email protected] visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.About MartinI first met Martin when he worked for a different organisation, and was thrilled when he contacted me at his next company to talk about leadership, and then when he moved to Morton-Fraser I moved with him! I think of myself very much as a Leadership Partner, and Martin is a true partner, a fantastic builder of relationships, he is passionate about inclusivity and diversity, and about community.

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence, care and courage your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. Together we delve into what they really care about, their values and beliefs, their passion and purpose and how they live and weave these through their leadership every day, in all that they do. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Justin Russell, Former Chief Inspector of Probation, a role that he finished in the Autumn of 2023 on the challenges and satisfactions of leading in the public sector.Together we delve into:His experience of Senior leadership in the Civil Service – the challenges and satisfactions of sharing the vision setting space with politicians and other parts of governmentOperational versus Policy leadership in the Public Sector - why most top civil service jobs go to policy specialists and why intellectual leadership is prioritised over emotional leadership in Whitehall.Justin’s personal career challenge - as someone who loves policy detail and evidence - of getting the balance right between being ‘Hands off and hands on’, of being on the balcony versus being on the dance floor. The challenge of engaging colleagues in an era of hybrid working – and how does remote working make leadership more or less easy / more or less satisfying? Justin’s three key encouragements for leaders, whatever the sector they are working and leading in:Pay attention to your impact! Don’t underestimate the shadow you cast - or the difference it can make…………Say yes when people ask for help with career advice or mentoring – and don’t be afraid to ask the people you admire for their help too. What goes around always comes around.Always keep yourself anchored by asking yourself first what is the right - fair and just - thing to do when faced with a leadership or policy challenge – but don’t beat yourself up too much if that can’t be fully delivered. Leaders have to be pragmatists as well as idealists.About JustinJustin is the former Chief Inspector of Probation, a role that he finished in the Autumn of 2023. I had the privilege of partnering with him and his leadership team over a short period of time during 2023. Together we introduced the Future-Engage-Deliver approach to leadership, created by Steve Radcliffe to help the team get clear on their shared future, build bigger relationships with each other, and to deliver more now and later through others. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation’s mission is to deliver ‘High quality probation and youth justice services that change people’s lives for the better’, their focus is on how the probation does things and on how probation makes a real life difference in the lives of the people they work with – something that has been a passion for Justin throughout his career.Contact Justin via LInkedIn, on Justin Russell, where he posts regularly.

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence and courage in your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life - the people, places and experiences that have shaped them and made them the leader that they are today.Together we delve into what they really care about, their values and beliefs, their passion and purpose and how they live and weave these through their leadership every day, in all that they do.They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Jane Mather, Make-up Artist and Personal StylistWe delve together into: 1How truly understanding our ‘uniqueness’, and our ‘values’, can help us shape our personal style and achieve our goals2How translating our ‘values’ and defining our non-verbal communication skills helps us hone our personal style for success3 The importance of showing compassion to and being empowering of others.Three Key Encouragements1. The first step in honing your personal style is to identify your ‘core values’ - really knowing what’s important to you.The second step is understanding your impact and personal presence - addressing any concerns about your personal style to help you achieve your goals. The third step is taking a ‘leap of faith’ in and for yourself and in others! You never know what opportunity might present itself or what you might discover!Learn more about Jane through her website: www.janemather.co.uk, where you can also subscribe to her newsletter.Or follow Jane on Instagram: @janemather_makeupstyleTo listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.comA big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production.

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence, care and courage in your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational personal leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. Together we delve into what they really care about, their values and beliefs, their passion and purpose and how they live and weave these through their leadership every day, in all that they do. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already - please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Beto Funari. Together we delve into: Acting as a humanist leader: Why human leadership matters to people feeling valued, enabled and motivated to contribute and create a better future, to learn and develop their potential; and how to do this through leading with empathy, actively listening, fostering diversity and inclusion Balancing Profit and Purpose: How balancing purpose and profit is at the heart of building a compassionate and prosperous business whilst financial success is essential it should not come at the expense of human well-being or ethical principles. Adopting a Customer-Centric Approach: How adopting a Customer-Centric Approach helps in understanding and meeting customer’s needs, through building trust and loyalty and through delivering high-quality products or services. Three Key EncouragementsWhat are your three key encouragements for leaders looking to build hope and optimism?Cultivate Empathy and Deep Listening in your own leadership, be a role model to others and encourage them to cultivate empathy and deep listening, and open communication;Prioritise People through continuous learning and development;Balance Profit, Purpose, People and (Ethical) Principles, commercial success is essential however never at the expense of People and ethical Principles, have a Purpose that is bigger than Profit and includes People this will ensure sustainable successTo contact Beto, do so through LinkedIn, Roberto Funari.To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.comTo contact me Anni Townend do email me on [email protected] visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

Welcome to Anni in Conversation. In this episode I delve into my thoughts and insights into the importance of leaders asking for feedback on their impact felt, and how to create a safe environment in which to have these conversations. Many years ago, my friend and colleague Steve Radcliffe suggested to me that the two most important questions a leader can ask are...- how good am I at creating a safe environment for people? - And what is your experience of me? Creating a safe environment in which people can be open and honest through practising curiosity, care and courage in their leadership is at the heart of the Collaboration Equation™, a unique framework co created by myself and Lucy kid that encourages and guides leaders in creating cultures of care and connection, in which inclusive dialogue and diversity of thought and feeling are welcomed. Finding out what people's experience of us is essential to developing greater self awareness. We remember how we feel around people. In any one situation, how people feel around us will vary. So gathering this invaluable data on how different people feel, can help us to ensure that our behaviour is aligned with how we would like people to feel around us. My own aspiration is to have people feel seen, heard and understood. It's an aspiration. The only way I can find out whether that's how people experience me is to share with them that that's my aspiration, and to ask them: - How you feel around me? - When do you feel that way? So do invite a conversation with people you know, and you would like to build a relationship with and from whom you can get this invaluable impact felt feedback.Thank you for listening.

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence and courage your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational personal leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. Together we delve into what they really care about, their values and beliefs, their passion and purpose and how they live and weave these through their leadership every day, in all that they do. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Steen Broust Nielsen Senior Vice President Sales at Wood Mackenzie Power & RenewablesWe delve together into: 1 Trust – as a foundation for cohesive and high performing teams2 (Com)passion – caring is at the core of authentic leadership3 Meaning – fuels us all and gives us purpose4 Humility and resilience – knowing it is never about you - and that’s okThree key encouragements What are your three encouragements that you would give to leaders?1. Be real – leaders are people too2. Be bold – if it matters to you it matters to others3. Be consistent – trust is earned with our teams as well as with our peersTo find out more about Steen and to get in touch with him do connect with him on LinkedIn, where he posts regularly .To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.comA big thank you to my support team at The Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production.To contact me Anni Townend do email me on [email protected] visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence and courage in your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. Together we delve into what they really care about, their values and beliefs, their passion and purpose and how they live and weave these through their leadership every day, in all that they do. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Cassandra Ogier.Together we delve into: 1. The power of presence2. Embodied leadership3. Deep listening/communicating from self-regulation4. Trusting the unfolding of lifeCassy’s Three key encouragements, guiding principles for leaders to help them come home to their true nature….1. Be guided by your passion. What you love.2. Trust in yourself as a part of the whole experience of life.3. Life is happening for you, not to youTo find out more about Cassy and to get in touch with her do follow her on Instagram @thereflectivehorse and go to her website, www.thereflectivehorse.comA big thank you to my support team at The Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production.To contact me Anni Townend do email me on [email protected] visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.About Cassandra OgierCassandra is the Founder & Director of The Reflective Horse®, providing embodied leadership experiences through partnering with horses. She is the pioneer of equine-guided programming with free-roaming horses. She created The Reflective Horse® in 2011 in the US, and has expanded her practice through The Reflective Horse® Mastery Program, teaching Practitioners, and widening the potential for free beings - horses and humans - coming together to experience a shift in perspective through somatic practices and Insight-Based mentorship. She is passionate about creating and collaborating on inspiring programming to support clients in reconnecting with their innate wisdom, and liberation from the conditioned mind. Originally from East Sussex, Cassandra moved to California with her family in 2007 where she actualized her dharma. She is the Mother of three incredible sons, of whom she is most proud and honoured to be sharing this life. She currently teaches in North and Central America and in Europe. To learn more about Cassandra visit her website, thereflectivehorse.com/about

Welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence and courage your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Ellie Norman, Chief Communications Officer, Manchester United Football Club. Together we delve into: How to manage your energies to be at your best, and to help others be their best through having people feel seen and validated;How connecting with people and building relationships is key to business success, whatever the business you are in;Why building a culture of belonging is so important, and what you can do to build one through hope and possibility.Ellie’s Three Guiding Principles to have people feel seen and validated1) Bring the light. So be able to bring the light and to shine that light on every individual you meet. Think about ‘How do you leave every person feeling good about themselves? ‘2) Challenge the status quo. So to ask ‘what if?’. 3) Recognise just how fortunate we are, so find that zest that fun and that energy, and to be able to bring that.About Ellie NormanI first met Ellie on the Marketing Leaders Programme, when she came to speak to the group of marketing leaders. I was inspired by her passion and commitment to people, by her energy and enthusiasm to connect with people, and to put them at ease helping them to be their very best through learning. I love her passion for having everyone feel validated no matter where they are, or who they are or where they have come from.Recognised as customer-obsessed and target-driven, with demonstrable critical thinking skills and an ability to disrupt the status quo to achieve category beating growth. A broad, curious, perceptive thinker who combines creative and problem-solving skills to find new opportunities. Inspires teams to work with excellence, curiosity, and a ‘can do’ attitude to deliver the business growth. Leads by example, able to embrace change and find a path through ambiguity, maintaining a sense of calm confidence, optimism, whilst balancing focus on long-term strategy.To find out more about Ellie and to get in touch with her do follow her on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly.To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.comA big thank you to my support team to the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production.To contact me Anni Townend do email me on [email protected] visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

Welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni in Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence and courage your leadership. In today's episode, I share my thoughts on Being, Seen, Heard and Understood. I delve into: My own aspiration to ensure others feel seen, heard and understoodValues and beliefs within leadershipUnderstanding felt experiences from others of your own leadershipMy Three Key Encouragements to ensure your team feel Seen, Heard and Understood: 1. Meet people where they are at2. Listen to learn and understand3. Be curious and ask questions, especially when you have a different point of viewTo contact me, Anni Townend, do email me on [email protected] or visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my bi-monthly newsletter or follow me on LinkedIn to discover more leadership insights. I look forward to connecting with you. Thank you for listening.

Welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence and courage your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. Together we delve into what they really care about, their values and beliefs, their passion and purpose and how they live and weave these through their leadership every day, in all that they do. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Rachel Eyre, Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Morrisons. We delve together into: - How influencing starts with self-awareness, you are your own data bank - use it;- How leading with pride, courage, and conviction and not being a ‘paranoid overachiever’ matter in leadership;- The importance of building your career around your strengths, whilst plugging the gaps;- The importance of being nice, and remembering we are all human beings.Rachel’s Three Key Encouragements to Leaders and Marketing Leaders:Feel the fear and do it anywayBelieve in yourself, back yourself, use your own data - you are your own data bank, draw on it, and replenish itBe a decent person, how you make people feel mattersAbout Rachel EyreI first met Rachel on the Marketing Leaders Programme and immediately warmed to her, was inspired and committed to her success. I have followed her leadership journey ever since and was thrilled in March 2023 to see Rachel listed as one of the top ten most powerful women in the supermarket industry! Her being included in and on this list was not a surprise, and look forward to seeing where her leadership takes her!To find out more about Rachel and to get in touch with her do follow her on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly.To contact me Anni Townend do email me on [email protected] visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence and courage your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. Together we delve into what they really care about, their values and beliefs, their passion and purpose and how they live and weave these through their leadership every day, in all that they do. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!Together Sophie and I delve into: 1) Pacesetting and the principles for positivity, and how velocity can speed up success.2) How leadership is an iterative process - and how to be the editor of your leadership, constantly creating, testing and revising.3) Why marketing matters - now - more than everSophie’s Three Key Encouragements: 1) Manage your pace 2) Only Connect3) Act with AudacityAbout SophieIn addition to being the Global Chief Executive of The Marketing Society since 2020, Sophie is the author of ‘Superfast: Lead at Speed’ shortlisted for Business Book of The Year and co-author with Ben Renshaw of LoveWork: The Seven Steps to Thrive at Work. This is a book about growing your relationship with your work, and how to have a more positive relationship with it. Sophie is an acclaimed keynote speaker and a successful entrepreneur. You can read Superfast in hardback, paperback and audio through this link - https://tinyurl.com/ya5xeq9bYou can order LoveWork: The Seven Steps to Thrive at Work which explores how to discover or recover a better relationship with work through this link - https://amzn.to/3qOQpjxTo find out more about Sophie and to get in touch, follow her on LinkedIn or visit The Marketing Society website www.marketingsociety.com to find out more about this wonderful community of marketers that Sophie’s leads together with her amazing team.A big thank you to my support team at The Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production.To contact me Anni Townend, do email me on [email protected] visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence and courage your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. Together we delve into what they really care about, their values and beliefs, their passion and purpose and how they live and weave these through their leadership every day, in all that they do. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Nina Holdaway, Managing Director at Accenture Song. Together we delve into: 1. The energy flywheel, and how managing your energy is key to feeling inspiring and inspiring others2. Playing to strengths as part of being your best and helping others to be their best3. Being your authentic self and understanding human leadership and why this is more important than ever4. How life and leadership are about the journey, not the destination, and making this journey and adventureKey EncouragementsWhat are your three or four key encouragements for leaders looking to Making Working Lives Better through their leadership.1. Look after yourself as a leader so you can bring your best every day 2. Provide clarity and direction - paint a picture of an exciting future ahead3. Create belonging: be there for people - physically & in spirit … positive role modelling goes a long way4. Be flexible, what & how Thank you, NinaTo find out more about Nina and to get in touch with her do follow her on LinkedIn where Nina posts regularly. To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.comA big thank you to my support team, the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with the marketing of the podcast, and to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production.To contact me Anni Townend do email me on [email protected] visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

Welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence and courage your leadership. I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. Together we delve into what they really care about, their values and beliefs, their passion and purpose and how they live and weave these through their leadership every day, in all that they do. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Henrietta Norton, Founder of Wild Nutrition Together we delve into: Purpose - why purpose, instead of passion, is essential in sustainable leadership.Authenticity - and how this is really the greatest force we have. And how this is very much a personal journey that weaves the thread between personal and professional growth. Balancing being and doing - why carving out the space to be is the fuel that drives the being and how historically many work cultures have focused on the doing at the cost of beingHow Sustainable Leadership is really holistic leadership and is about supporting ourselves in all aspects of our being - body, mind, emotion and soul wellbeing.Three Key EncouragementsWhat are your three key encouragements for leaders looking to be more than do, and to lead sustainably with purpose.Value and diarise time to ‘be’ - this gives you the opportunity….Be clear about the contribution you want to make - personally and for your business, to the worldGrowth, growth, growth - never stop growing as a leader and encouraging growth in your team. It’s infectious, creative and empowering for everyone. To find out more about Henrietta Norton, and Wild Nutrition, to get in touch with them do go to their website wildnutrition.com and follow on Instagram.To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.comA big thank you to my support team Taryn Weeks of Sparkz Marketing and the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production.To contact me Anni Townend do email me on [email protected] visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening/About HenriettaHenrietta is Co-Founder and Formulator of leading Food-Grown Supplement Brand Wild Nutrition.Wild Nutrition is an expert voice in Women's health, offering Award-Winning formulations for women at every stage of their health journey, from puberty to menopause, energy to stress and sleep. Henrietta is also the published author of Take Control of Your Endometriosis and Your Pregnancy Nutrition Guide. To find out more go to www.wildnutrition.com or find them on instagram at @wildnutritionltd.

Help transform your meetings from the transactional into the relational, through checking in with each other at the start of the meeting and at the end of a meeting - be the meeting in person or online. Indeed checking in when we are meeting online matters more, not less, to make sure that everyone feels they have a voice, and that they will be listened to. I truly believe that we could make our meetings more effective through making time to give people space to think, and to speak, and to be listened to and to know that we are listening to each other - through looking at each other, and giving each other 'focused attention'. Making time for people to arrive in the meeting, to take a moment to think 'How am I' and then to share a few words helps everyone to 'meet each other where they are at' ahead of getting into the content of the meeting. Through doing this check in people feel welcomed, they know that they matter and their contribution matters both in their listening to others, but also in their speaking with others.Checking out is of equal importance, thanking people for their participation, and encouraging everyone to say one thing about their experience of the meeting reminds us why meetings matter, and how important acknowledging our human to human connection is.

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence and courage your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. Together we delve into what they really care about, their values and beliefs, their passion and purpose and how they live and weave these through their leadership every day, in all that they do. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Raj Kumar Interim CMO, SVB (Silicon Valley Bank) UK.We delve together into: - What being kind and being direct really means- How Raj’s leadership has been shaped through being an explorer- Why Diversity, Equality and Inclusion matter, and Raj’s personal experience of navigating these- What Marketing is, and why leadership and marketing go hand in hand.Three Top Tips - What are your three top tips for leaders looking to be kind, and to be direct in their leadership?Make choices, don’t prioritise Never judge yourself by the performance review Seek out opportunities to learn and show upTo find out more about Raj and to get in touch with him do follow him on LinkedIn, Raj Kumar, where he posts regularly and re-shares posts to spark your interest and curiosity.To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.comA big thank you to my support team from the Conscious Marketing Group, for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production.To contact me Anni Townend do email me on [email protected] visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.About RajI first met Raj on the Marketing Leaders Programme some years ago and admired his commitment from the outset to his own learning and development and that of others. The programme is a one year programme, made up of residential modules and coaching groups in between. Raj contributed wholeheartedly to everyone so much so that we regularly ask him to return as a speaker to delegates, inspiring them with his passion and purpose, his insightful questioning of and straightforward approach to marketing leadership.Raj is an award-winning marketing executive who has grown and transformed major global brands across sectors and geographies. His focus is on building an inclusive, open and curiosity driven culture that does not accept the status quo. Raj has delivered best in class results by combining the art of the creative together with a data driven commercial mindset.He was included as one of Campaigns Power 100 marketers, Top 100 most effective marketers by Marketing Week and voted Financial Services Forum marketer of the year 2020. He is a Fellow of the Marketing Society and is an active mentor for aspiring marketers from ethnic minority backgrounds.Raj is a dad, husband, son as well as a brilliant colleague and friend to many.

Hello and Welcome to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast in which leaders share their personal leadership stories weaving together the threads of their life to encourage you to grow confidence and courage in your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. Together we delve into what they really care about, their values and beliefs, their passion and purpose and how they live and weave these through their leadership every day, in all that they do. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Erika Behl, leader and builder of courageous teams, key-note speaker and storytellerWe delve together into: - Why every moment is a choice- How leadership burnout really does exist and what what we can do to navigate the leaders sometimes treacherous journey- How leaders can become more courageous so that their team can be more courageous Welcome Erika!Erika I would like to start by asking you about you, about who you are – your values and beliefs, passion and purpose - who are the people, places and experiences that have shaped you and made you who you are today?Tell me more about why every moment is a choice, and what this means especially when sometimes we don’t feel like we have a choice.What makes leaders' journeys so treacherous with the dangers of real burnout and how can we navigate this?How have you become more courageous, what and who has helped you and how do you help teams to be more courageous?Three Top TipsWhat are your three top tips for leaders looking to build courageous teams, and to make every moment a conscious choice?As a leader, articulating your core values is a must. Put in the work, do the self reflection, get feedback. Whatever it takes to clearly discern what gives you conviction to live with your choices—not everyone will like your choices, but they will accept your leadership if you are authentic Any vision, strategy, or plan has to include the WIIFM (what’s in it for me) for whomever you’re counting on to execute it or transform as a result… this can also be a ‘heightened version’ of themselves You need a moment—a space—in order to make a decision that’s conscious and aligned with your values. Learning not to react and to create that space for a response is one of the most powerful things you can choose as a leaderABOUT ERIKAErika is a powerful and courageous leader who I had the privilege of meeting on a leadership program some years ago. She stood out as a leader with huge potential to go far, and I remember sharing this with her over dinner one evening. Since then I have had the privilege of working with Erika, and following her leadership journey which as she says of others has not always been easy, and at times treacherous. Not only does she embody great courage in her leadership but also curiosity. She is keen to learn and develop new ways of being and staying humble. She is passionate about sharing her learning of Customer Success journeys in the healthcare space engaging patients in their own health journeys whilst providing measurable outcomes for healthcare providers. She loves paddle boarding, is growing to love and believe in public speaking and storytelling, has two wonderful children and lives in Singapore.

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow your confidence and courage as a leader.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational personal leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. Together we delve into what they really care about, their values and beliefs, their passion and purpose and how they live these through their leadership every day, in all that they do. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Candace Gerlach, founder of The Conscious Marketing GroupWe delve together into: How collaborating with people who think differently and getting to know them is key to business – and brand -success.Why inspiring people along their journey through creating a set of guiding principles and then letting them find their own way matters more than ever.How being curious makes us better marketers – and better humans.Three Top TipsWhat are your three top tips for leaders looking to collaborate, to inspire and to be more curious in their leadership? Don’t be too hard on yourself – remember you are human – learn to let go of things rather than dwell upon them.Be curious and interested in what other people have to offer – encourage diversity of thought to get to a more rounded point of view.Be passionate! Be open and honest. Energy is infectious. Galvanise people behind a vision and common purpose – be they customers, colleagues, shareholders, or the wider community.ABOUT CANDACECandace is the founder of The Conscious Marketing Group (TCMG). Her mission and that of TCMG is to bring big brand thinking into the lives of small to medium sized business that are doing amazing things, and to problem solve collectively for brands that have so much to offer – for their customer, for people, and for the greater good.CONTACT CANDACETo find out more about Candace and The Conscious Marketing Group connect with her on LinkedIn, and go to her website www.theconsciousmarketinggroup.co.ukCONTACT METo contact me Anni Townend do email me on [email protected] visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow your confidence and courage as a leader.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. Together we delve into and weave together what they really care about, their values and beliefs, their passion and purpose and how they live these through their leadership every day, in all that they do. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already, please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Alicia Ioannou, a policy senior manager in the Home Office who is currently enjoying new adventures on a career break in Switzerland!Together we delve into:1) What it means to be confident and to go for it!2) How to deal with stressful situations 3) The importance of being an explorer of new opportunities and skillsAlicia’s Three Top TipsRemember to communicate, communicate, communicate – it is better to over communicate than under communicateBe inspired by others, by their stories and be inspiring in and for yourself with your own storyAlways give opportunities to the people in your team to explore, learn and growABOUT ALICIAAlicia has been a senior manager in the UK Civil Service for 19 years where she has designed and implemented policies for the UK Government on migration including aspects of the post Brexit immigration system; tackling illegal migration and managing the UK’s Presidency of the G7 on Interior Security matters. Recently Alicia “went for it”, and moved to Switzerland on a career break where she is thinking through what is next for her career. Alicia is also enjoying rediscovering some of her early passions – piano, tennis and hiking in the mountains. To find out more about me go to my website www.annitownend.comTo listen to more leaders sharing their inspirational personal leadership stories, https://www.annitownend.com/leaders-in-conversation-podcastTo contact me Anni Townend, do email me on [email protected]

ABOUT THE SHOWWelcome to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend. The podcast that helps you to grow your confidence and courage as a leader.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life, offering valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey.In each episode leaders share their personal life and leadership stories to encourage you to delve in what you really care about – your values and beliefs, your purpose and passions and how to live these through your leadership every day, in all that you do. If you are not already subscribed to the podcast please do subscribe, review and share it! To listen to more episodes go to my website www.annitownend.comABOUT THIS EPISODEIn this episode Wilma and I delve into and weave together:How making change always starts on the inside of ourselvesWhat it means to discover and lead from who we are, not from who we think we should be The value of being present and avoiding the zip wire of time Understanding the deep impact of spending time alone Why now, more than ever, there is a need for a leadership renaissance Wilma’s three top tips for leaders looking to lead differently 1. Make time to spend time alone and notice how this shifts your thinking and feeling2 Find your ways of nourishing and replenishing yourself, and your purpose not only for your leadership but for those around you3 Look within, change starts on the inside of ourselves.ABOUT WILMAWilma is a Growth and Development mentor to leaders and emerging leaders in the pursuit of something extraordinary, including People who are part of leading climate change solutions. She has a very special cottage in the heart of the Black Mountains in Monmouthshire where she invites clients to spend time alone. Here she uses the space and silence at the to allow the extraordinary to emerge.ABOUT BEING AT THE COTTAGEBeing at The Cottage offers a range of experiences with scope. When leaders are in the pursuit of something extraordinary, it will have a positive impact for others. It is something that will steer other people and the planet, as well as themselves, towards a better future.Clients can come and stay from 24 hours up to 7 nights at the cottage, which is tech free, and they are fully catered for with delicious food.Spending time alone at the cottage will give clients a profound experience of what it is to be present and in time.It’s important that the experience of being at the cottage is supported afterwards, so work continues together long after the client has left.To find out more about Wilma and Being at The Cottage do visit her website www.beingatthecottage.com/experiences and follow her on LinkedIn where she regularly posts or email [email protected]

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow your confidence and courage as a leader.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. Together we delve into what they really care about, their values and beliefs, their passion and purpose and how they live these through their leadership every day, in all that they do. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. ABOUT THIS EPISODEIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Ayesha Murray, founder of Ayesha Murray Coaching and a podcast host herself of the brilliant The Parent Equation.We delve together into: How it is vital to become the leader of you when you decide to run your own businessWhy it is so important to help women in leadership manage Imposter SyndromeThe challenges and conflicts for working parents between wanting a career and being present for their familyAyesha’s Three Top Tips for Leaders looking to become the leader of themselves when making a decision to set up their own business, or indeed anyone looking to pursue their passion and purpose:Stay in your lane, use comparison for goodBe Authentic, aligned to your valuesBe Curious and ask, What If?Thanks to my support team Taryn Weeks of Sparkz Marketing for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the excellent editing and sound production.And thank you to you the listener. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it – it really does help. Thank you!ABOUT AYESHAAfter many years in a successful corporate marketing role Ayesha realised her ambition to become a coach, focusing on working parents and helping them to manage the challenges and conflicts of pursuing a career and parenting. In 2020 she started her podcast The Parent Equation initially in order to stay connected to the working parents community during the pandemic and lockdowns.Ayesha lives in London with her husband and their two daughters, their Labrador dog and their cat. She loves being in nature, going for walks, watching box sets, good food, red wine and music.If you are wanting to go further with becoming the leader of yourself, struggle with Imposter Syndrome and with being present both for your career and your family do get in touch with Ayesha on www.ayeshamurray.com, and listen to her brilliant podcast The Parent Equation, and follow her on LinkedIn where she frequently writes about her own experience of working and parenting.To contact me Anni Townend do email me on [email protected] visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you.

In this conversation, I share my thoughts about time and energy. For many years, I've been quoting Tony Schwartz, author of The Way We're Working, Isn't Working, that energy, not time, is our most precious resource. And I've been encouraging leaders and their teams to manage their energies, all four of them; physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. And I continue to think that this is super important. Increasingly, however, I'm beginning to realise that for me, it is both time and energy that are our most precious resources, and that they are inextricably and closely intertwined. It takes time to manage your energies to truly look after your well being. For leaders, making this time is key, in order for us to show up at our generous best, and indeed, to have the impact we want to have on those around us. So I am now not only encouraging leaders to manage their energies, by noticing how they are in their bodies, their mindset, their emotions, and finally connecting with their values and beliefs, but also to make time for this in their busy calendars, to find micro moments in their every day. The author Joseph Baldacci and his great book of the same title, encourages leaders to step back to take these micro moments to stop, pause, breathe and to notice, often described as switching off in many ways. I think of it as switching on to ourselves to being self aware, and then making time to take care of ourselves.

In this episode join Anni in Conversation on how checking in and checking out with ourselves and each other is fundamental to building both self awareness and human-to-human connection.Increasingly, I'm aware of how important it is to check in, not only with ourselves but each other at the start of a meeting. For myself, at the start of the day checking in with, how am I feeling? How am I showing up today? And noticing what I need to bring, maybe what I need to do in order to bring the best of me. The same applies to checking in with each other. We often ask how are how are you? And the answer is ‘I'm fine’, ‘I'm okay’. There's more. By encouraging people at the start of a meeting to say a sentence or two about how they're checking in to themselves and sharing with each other. It means that everybody has a voice. Everybody is seen. Everybody is heard and understood. Managing that at the start of a meeting is as important as managing that, at the end of the meeting. Checking out, making time, again, to go around to hear from everybody. What have they enjoyed? What have they learned? Maybe how are they feeling at the end of the meeting? This is especially important be meetings in person, sitting around a table, or on the screen. Making time for each other to check in and check out can transform our meetings, from meetings feeling like they're very transactional to feeling that there is the real human to human connection, and that there's more than what we do to who we are being and how we are being with each other.

In this conversation, I share the importance of Minding the Gap. Many, many years ago, I had the privilege of meeting and hearing Marguerite Patten, the British Home Economist, Chef, food writer and broadcaster, share her life and leadership story. At the end, one of the audience asked her, “What would be your top tip to people?” and she replied, “Mind the Gap”. She was at this time in a wheelchair and had spoken about the challenges that she experienced on a daily basis of not being able to get about having been someone who thought nothing of jumping on and off a train to London from her local station. In response to the question, she went on to share with us that it was on one of these occasions, jumping on a train, when she had not got the full measure of the gap between the platform and the train. And she had fallen down into the gap causing herself much damage. She spoke of being grateful that there had been help on hand and commented on the kindness of strangers, shown towards her in particular, of a young person who had leaped to her rescue. And so she concluded, my top tip to you all is to mind the gap, to pay attention to be present in the moment to yourself and to what is around you, especially when it is already familiar to you. Her message resonated with me to mind the gap between and in the many areas of my life, in particular, the gaps that are thresholds, the spaces between one thing and the next, and the gaps, which can be good, providing we notice and are present to them as we move and transition. For example, from one meeting to the next, from one conversation to the next. Making time to be present, to notice the thresholds and to make space of ourselves is all part of minding the gap.

ABOUT THE SHOWWelcome to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend. The podcast that helps you to grow your confidence and courage as a leader.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life, offering valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey.In each episode leaders share their personal life and leadership stories to encourage you to delve in what you really care about – your values and beliefs, your purpose and passions and how to live these through your leadership every day, in all that you do. If you are not already subscribed to the podcast please do subscribe, review and share it! Thank youABOUT THIS EPISODEIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Steve Chapman. We delve into:How being playful with not knowing is at the heart of how he lives and everything he does;Spontaneity and allowing ourselves to be spontaneous, to experiment and let go;Freedom and how we can liberate ourselves the tightening grips that hold us back;Stuckness and what we can do to become unstuck.STEVE’s Three Tips for Leaders in becoming more playing not knowing are:Let GoNotice MoreUse Everything!With credit to his friend and colleague Rob PoyntonABOUT STEVESteve Chapman, (also known as @stevexoh), is an artist, writer and speaker interested in creativity and the human condition. He works as a consultant and coach with individuals and organisations who are interested in finding creative and counter-intuitive ways to help free themselves from ever-tightening loops of common-sense where creativity, novelty and change are rather difficult.

ABOUT THIS EPISODEIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Louise Barnes, Louise is Founder of Team-HOi, dedicated to helping people identify how to regain control over their own health. We delve into:How precious Time is and how investing in ourselves is within our control when we plan our time. The importance of human connection and community in which people help each other.How focusing on and being conscious of what we believe in needs doing will bring joy and how giving back is a great reminder of what is important.How making health habits easy, attractive and rewarding through new patterns of thinking and acting can make all the difference to company cultureLOUISE’s THREE Top Tips for Leaders looking to regain control of their health and to feel healthy on the inside out. Find what makes you happy. What’s your thing? If you had a full day to yourself, without any demands on your time. How would you spend it? Weave this into your life.Slow down to speed up. Identify what you need to stop doing. Many of us are doing two things at once. Choose what you want to focus on and plan how to do thatGet comfortable feeling uncomfortable - constantly stretch your limits. Have the courage to step out of your comfort zone. Chrissie Wellington the English triathlete said "many of us don't know where our limits are" ABOUT LOUISELouise is Founder of Team-HOi. She radiates warmth and understanding. With a joy for living which is contagious. She enjoys connecting with people and uses her extensive experience from working in a busy corporate role to balance the ongoing pressures of working and home life..As a mother of four young children and lots of travel with her work, she has tried many approaches to staying active, fuelling her body and managing a positive mindset.ABOUT TEAM-HOiTeam HOi partners with companies who have moved to flexible and remote working to help prevent the physical and mental health issues that come with a lack of regular movement. They don't offer a portal or information resource, they schedule integrated live regular movement sessions, life coaching and mentoring with a focus on connecting remote people to each other and their organisation.HOME START the charity that Louise mentions, can be contacted on. https://www.home-start.org.uk/ For help in identifying how to regain control over your health, to reduce stress and to develop long term health habits then do get in touch with Louise at Team HOi, www.teamhoi.co.uk To contact me, Anni Townend do email me on [email protected], visit my website annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to hearing from you, thank you for listening.

ABOUT THIS EPISODEIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Anna Reddy. We delve into:How following your heart in times of uncertainty can really help you find your passion and your purpose; How managing your energy to win personally and professionally is key to performance and productivity; The impact on women of demands made of them in the workplace and the challenges that they have to overcome.ANNA's Three Tips for Leaders looking for workplace health solutions for productivity and performance: Be the orchestra for healthy wellbeing change Show the Real You, be vulnerableAttract and retain talent, through the things that matter to people right nowABOUT ANNA Anna is the founder of Leap Health, providing bespoke, innovative and simple solutions which optimise physical and mental health, accelerating personal and professional performance and happiness in organisations. She has a wealth of experience and knowledge of delivering health solutions in many situations including 18 years in the pharmaceutical industry; she is passionate about fitness and is a qualified nutritionist. She is the mum to three energetic children, and loves being outside with them. Find out more about Anna and her wonderful work via the Leap Health website, www.leaphealth.co.uk and listen to her own podcast. To listen to more episodes of Leaders in Conversation with Anni Townend, go to my website www.annitownend.com To find out more about Future-Engage-Deliver (FED mentioned by Anna and I) developed by Steve Radcliffe, and wonderfully described in his book Leadership Plain and Simple, to go www.futurengagedeliver.com To listen to Steve Radcliffe in conversation with me go to https://www.annitownend.com/leaders-in-conversation-podcast/steve-radcliffe To find out more about Anna and my colleague Helen Bessell whom we also mention, go to www.thegamechangercollective.com and follow her on LinkedIn.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE – In this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Nathan Blair. Nathan is the founder of The Somatic School; dedicated to training people in body-oriented coaching - helping leaders to become more conscious of their own embodied experience in relating to self and others in new ways, including using our bodies for strategic decision making and in leading for the whole.We delve into 'Why the body?' the embodied experience and the 'felt sense' as part of awakening the senses to being fully present to Sensing and Responding our way forward. We talk about the importance of Resourcing & Regulating, in particular the resourcing dimension of Play, and regulating our nervous system and the power of relationships in helping each other co-regulate, and having a nervous system conscious workplace. We dive into how treating an organisation as a living entity, and leading from a place of being in service are crucial to leadership, now more than ever.ABOUT NATHAN BLAIR -Nathan founded The Somatic School in 2018 offering a highly experiential online Body-oriented Coaching Programme, accredited by the International Coaching Federation. For many years Nathan worked in the corporate world leaving to set up his own coaching practice, working as a coach with individual clients, a facilitator of groups and is a qualified Coaching Supervisor.Click to find out more about Nathan and The Somatic School Nathan kindly also shared several books and resources here:The Mindfulness Prescription for Adult ADHD by Lidia ZykowskaIntelligence in the Flesh by Guy ClaxtonTao te Ching by Lao Tzu (translated by Stephen Mitchel)Play & Creativity in Psychotherapy by Marks-Tarlow, Solomon and Siegel If you loved this episode of Leaders In Conversation please leave a review, share and subscribe. Thank you

In this episode join Anni in conversation as she discusses turning shoulds into coulds, and priorities into choices Many years ago I trained in the theory and practise of Transactional Analysis and as with most trainings there are often one or two things which stand out and stay with me, and become part of who I am. One of these things was a simple exercise called 'Turning Should into Could'. We were asked to make a list of all things that we said to ourselves that we Should be doing or have done, and, or all the things that we Should not have done, or Should not be doing. I remember my list was long, and it was a list that I regularly visited and revisited and gave myself a hard time over. The list never seemed to get any shorter, if anything the older I got and the more responsibilities I had the longer the lists got. Having written our Should/Should not lists we were asked to write everything down again only this time turning every Should into a Could. This small word change was transformative for me, I realised through this simple shift in mindset that as soon as something became a 'I could do this....' that I had choice, that there was a sense of possibility and that it really was up to me.Most recently I have, thanks to Raj Kumar a speaker on the Marketing Leaders Programme, started to think about making choices rather than setting priorities. When we think about Priorities we tend to think of a numbered list, and rather like the Shoulds the list tends to be added to and to grow longer with things jockeying for top position or dropping to the bottom of the list and eventually off it. When we think instead about Choices there is an immediate sense of possibility, of choosing to do something because it is important, it matters to us, to our business and to the future direction.Find out more about the Marketing Leaders Programme or find out more about Raj do follow him on LinkedIn and to find out more about me Anni Townend, head to my website annitownend.com. If you loved this episode of Leaders In Conversation please leave a review, share and subscribe. Thank you

Deeds not words from International leading women's rights activist Helen PankhurstIn this episode I am in conversation with Helen Pankhurst an international leading women’s rights activist, an experienced advocate and passionate collaborative campaigner for social justice. We delve into how Deeds not Words matter, why we must choose to challenge, to connect and dialogue with each other – locally and globally. We talk about what it means to live and lead a portfolio life, and how fun and purpose go hand in hand, and how shoulder to shoulder we can make a difference together. ABOUT HELENHelen is a senior adviser to CARE International UK working in the UK and in Ethiopia, and a convenor for the charity GM4Women2028 and of the Centenary Action Group (CAG).She is a part-time professor at Manchester Metropolitan University, and the first chancellor at the University of Suffolk. She has an honorary PhD from Edge Hill University and from the University of Manchester.She is the author of ‘Deeds not Words – the story of women’s rights then and now’ published in 2018.She is the proud mother of a son and daughter, and together with her daughter they promoted, advised on and had a cameo role in the 2015 film Suffragette.In 2019 Helen was awarded a CBE for her services to gender equality.To connect with Helen follow her on Twitter, or via the Universities or the charities with which she is connected.CARE puts women and girls at the centre of overcoming poverty and social injustice, because without equal rights and opportunities we will never overcome poverty in the world. CARE is a charity registered in England and Wales, founded in 1945 and working in 45 countries around the world, saving lives in emergencies and finding long-term solutions to poverty for millions of people. Helen established the Centenary Action Group (CAG) in 2018, to mark the century of some women getting the right to vote by campaigning for greater representation of women, in all their diversity, addressing the barriers that prevent women from taking part in politics, through collaboration, joint action and campaigning.Helen also leads the charity GM4Women2028, a coalition of change makers committed to making Greater Manchester a better place for women and girls, in all their diversity to live, work and prosper.She is a mother of two children and the great granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst and granddaughter of Sylvia Pankhurst who herself was an alumni of Manchester School of Art. Emmeline and Sylvia were both leaders in the British suffragette movement. If you would like to find out more about the work of CARE International, to join GM4Women2028 and to take action with the Centenary Action Group do visit their websites.If you loved this episode of Leaders In Conversation please leave a review, share and subscribe. Thank you

In this episode join me, Anni Townend, as I share the power of a walk and talk conversation.For many years, and for as long as I can remember I have loved walking. I grew up in West Yorkshire and every Saturday walked with my family through fields and woodland close to where my father's mother lived in a rented cottage on a farm with her sister. These afternoons were the highlight of my week and were some of the best times that we had as a family. We walked and talked, as we roamed through fields avoiding cows and climbing over styles. As a teenager some of the easiest and at the same time most difficult conversations that I had with my father were when we were walking the two of us, side by side, often in the rain or fog somewhere on the Pennine Way.Some thirty years ago I moved to a small semi-detached cottage on the South Downs Way, and over the past 10 years have incorporated the walk and talk, side by side conversation into my work as a leadership partner and executive coach to senior teams and senior leaders, whether that is in person or virtually.In person people meet me on the South Downs Way and we walk and talk, side by side; virtually we are both on our phones walking and talking - whether in person or virtually we pause, we stop, we listen, we notice as part of the coaching conversation paying attention to everything that is around us, looking up and looking down, feeling the ground beneath our feet, the air on our skin as part of becoming more conscious and clear on the way forward.If you would like to find out more about the Coaching Walk and Talk as part of team working and, or for yourself please get in touch with me Anni Townend. If you loved this episode of Leaders In Conversation please leave a review, share and subscribe. Thank you

About this EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Karen Ellis. Karen is founder of an amazing membership organisation for new mums to build a body they feel strong and confident in after they have had a baby and to be able to go on awesome adventures with their children.We delve into who and what inspired Karen to create the membership package for new mums to feel strong and confident in mind and body through movement and babywearing exercises. Karen shares how a shift in mindset from thinking of exercise as being about going to the gym to exercise being all about movement can help us lead a more active life everyday and in all that we do. She talks about why it is so important to her that the membership is truly affordable and accessible for all mums. Karen's passion is to help new mums nurture their bodies through movement, to learn and to relearn to trust their bodies. This powerful message of body positive parenting is one that I believe will resonate with all listeners - learning to trust our bodies, to listen and to know ourselves is at the heart of body positive leadership.Karen's Three Top Tips for Leaders to integrate movement into their every day, to go on awesome adventures, to say yes to awesome experiences feeling strong in their bodies whether they have children or not..Connect and listen to and do what you body is telling you to do - if you need to breathe more then pause for breath, if you need to move - move your body; learn to trust your bodyNotice the language you are using when you talk about yourself and others, focus on language which is body strengthening and mind expanding rather than on looks and image; think about body positivity - some of us have smaller bodies some of us have larger bodies, we can all have awesome adventuresAdd as much movement as you can that fits easily into your lifestyle and that you find fun. That could be working out whilst you carry your baby, scootering the school run, using the stairs instead of the elevator, joining in with your children at the park, skating, having a walking desk. But whatever it is, make sure you enjoy it and it integrates easily into your life then you are more likely to keep itAbout Karen Ellis Karen founded her postnatal rehabilitation membership organisation in 2020. She had worked for many years as a midwife before taking a break and feeling pulled towards supporting new mums on their journey to feel super strong in their bodies. She has two children and lives on the coast, not far from the sea, in North East Yorkshire.To find out more about Karen and her awesome membership organisation visit Karen Post Rehab or contact her on: 07769357334 / [email protected] you loved this episode of Leaders In Conversation please leave a review, share and subscribe. Thank you

In this episode Anni discusses how on a recent walk she encountered a friend who had been very unwell and in fact, the walk as their first time out of the house. Anni talks about how important being well met is when meeting people, not just for the first time, but every time particularly when facilitating a team or a group. Anni said that “One of the ways in which I do this is to ensure that everybody has an opportunity to speak, to be heard, to be fully listened to” What is there to say about my name?One of the simple but effective ways Anni shares is to invite people to talk about who they are, through their name. Whilst it might seem there isn’t much to say about a name, you will find that there is so much to share. Anni shares her own ‘name’ story and an interview she conducted for a case study where that person had shared their name but was told it was ‘too difficult’ so gave him a new name. He described how he felt his whole identity had been taken from him and wasn’t able to be himself. Anni said ‘The importance of giving people an opportunity to describe and to share something about who they are through their name cannot be underestimated. It gives people an opportunity to say something about themselves, how their name is pronounced where their name came from, and indeed, on some occasions, what it mean’. If you loved this episode of Leaders In Conversation please leave a review, share and subscribe. Thank you

How to find your spark, tell your story and position your brand ‘you’In this episode I am in conversation with Taryn Weeks. Taryn is the Founder of Sparkz Marketing, helping people and businesses find their spark through building their brand and telling their story.We delve into her years of experience and Taryn shares how important having the right people on your support team, people who champion you and cheer you on is; how believing in yourself and that you can do it matters; and to treat yourself like a client, write your own business plan!ABOUT TARYN WEEKSTaryn is an experienced marketer, with a passion for storytelling and for helping people tell their own and to find their brand story. After many years working in the corporate world she took the big step and set up Sparkz Marketing supporting businesses who need an injection of strategic thinking into their marketing or who need an extra pair of hands to move their marketing forward. She is the mother of two teenage boys who are her inspiration, and who were her ‘spark plug’ during a difficult and dark time. She lives with them and her partner who is a big supporter of her dreams, helping her to realise them and support others in realising theirs.If you loved this episode of Leaders In Conversation please leave a review, share and subscribe. Thank you

In episode 3, series 2 of Leaders In Conversation Anni was delighted to be joined by Julia Yule Co-Founder and Director of Bloom and Blossom, an award winning British business that provides natural routine led, solution focused skincare for the whole family.The experiences that shape you Julia starts the episode discussing her greatest leading influence was her parents. She highlights that they were massively encouraging and pushed in a way that kept them accountable.The journey to successJulia discusses her years in PR, fashion and magazine which although incredibly glamour was hard work but incredibly important to work your way up. She said that “you need to do, and you need to see and you need to experience. So, I've always applied that in whatever I do. And I'm very determined”. Positivity in the workplace Julia goes on to discuss the importance of leading with confidence but also vulnerability. She says that “To be able to lead a business takes a team, right, it takes people. And so, to give people that ability, and that chance to shine and feel confident in something that they're doing particularly at that time’. They both discuss that trust is vital as well enjoying what you do and one of the top things that distinguishes great leaders from good leaders is the ability to being a positive mindset. She said that “if we take business, having positivity in the workplace is imperative as a leader, but also, as an individual” and that we should celebrate the wins however big or small.The To Be ListAnni shares her to-be list tip… “we can get bogged down in to do lists, things we must do. I'm a great encourager of having a To Be list. So alongside, particularly for those people who love to have a list, to have the To Do list, but also to have the To Be list, who am I being, how am I going to show up today- wholehearted, determined, bringing a positive mindset ..”. Building a flourishing partnership They both go onto discuss the Bloom and Blossom, the fantastic small, independent British brand that Julia and Christina, her sister in law/ business partner created in 2010. She said that “We wanted to build a brand, we wanted to build something that took us out of, or within the realms of body care, but slightly out of just quite the small maternity sector, albeit a beautiful sector that we still cater for certainly.”. Both having the same clear vision, the same principles of how they want to get there has been keen to their journey of success. She believes it’s also important to listen, both with Christina but also her team. Creating a safe environment of diversity of thought. The importance of routineAnni goes onto share her love of the Bloom and Blossom brand products and its focus on creating routines for sleep, skincare and more.Julia shares that we should “sit, listen and encourage as much as you can. Have the courage yourself and encourage it all out of others as well”. Listen to the full episode to hear about:Vulnerability as a leader Positivity in the workplaceThe To Be List Build a flourishing partnership with a friend Building a beauty and self care brand The importance of self-care for successTo find out more about Bloom and Blossom and Julia and to buy their wonderful skincare products for your wellness do go to www.bloomandblossom.com If you would like to be a guest on Leaders in Conversation, please contact Anni on [email protected]

In episode 2 of our second series of Leaders in Conversation, we are delighted to be joined by Bradley Pritchard.Bradley has had an exciting career in football and has gone onto to become the founder of The Sporting Way. A social enterprise which educates and inspires young people to fulfil their potential.From Zimbabwe to the UK Bradley shares his experience of being born and raised in Harare, Zimbabwe for the first 10 years of his life before moving to the UK.Bradley shares that “… It took me a long time to, to adapt, I think I always felt like an outsider. And I still feel like an outsider at times. But I've learned to embrace that, that feeling of being an outsider, rather than trying to conform with the environment trying to appreciate my differences and turn them into strengths”. A sense of belonging Bradley shares that “It’s one thing to say…just be happy being different. But it doesn’t get rid of vulnerability, that insecurity, of not having a sense of belonging”. He shares that it’s important to find someone we can relate with and someone that you can talk with. He believes that once you’re able to do that and accept that we can’t change our differences we can learn to love them. “I think that’s when the real strength comes in, because you are then able to see it as a positive.”. Breaking down barriersHis mom encouraged him to complete his A-levels before he did anything within professional sport where he went onto have great success. At 25 he shares that he was working as a performance analyst as an intern for Charlton Athletic Football Club and the manager at the time, Chris Powell, offered him a trial as a player.He shared that “I always talk about the number of young players who stopped playing completely by the time they're 21. So, for me to be able to jump in at 25. I was at that point where I was emotionally mature. So, I was able to cope with the adversity that comes with being a professional footballer.The Sporting Way and The Dripping PanBradley goes onto discuss The Sporting Way and his return to football at 'The Dripping Pan'. Bradley said that “I have always said that if I'm going to play non-league or play part time football, I want it to be about two things, convenience and enjoyment. Because, football at this point in my life really is just about continuing a love. But it has to fit within the work that I'm doing”.Before he knew it, he returned to football at the club and also set up a community garden in a corner of the ground which is run alongside volunteers and Michael Kennard who runs ‘Compost Club’ in Lewes. He hopes to soon grow the community garden team and bring in people with no interest in football, but who want to grow food, particularly those across a variety of demographics to help increase a sense of belonging. Listen to the full episode to hear about:The layers of identity and breaking down barriers Emotional readiness in a 'survival of the fittest' culture The Sporting Way and The Dripping PanLearning from your mistakes Building a diverse community Discover moreTo find out more about Bradley and about The Sporting Way and how they might be able to support work in your community school or college, or how you could partner and support their work visit The Sporting Way or contact Bradley via email on [email protected]

In this first episode in the second series of Leaders In Conversation, we are delighted to welcome back Scott Sherwood.Back in 2021, Anni had the pleasure of being in conversation with Scott and his then 7-year-old daughter Sophie Harvey Sherwood who shared her experience running to celebrate inspirational women.Scott participated in the Just Running It challenge, a 365 mega challenge in which he aimed to run 10km every single day for a year in aid of Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity and was joined by Sophie too.The parallels between running and leadership He talks with Anni about his inspirational experience with the Just Running It challenge, not only completing the challenge but running nearly 4200 kilometers and continuing to maintain running daily into 2022.Throughout his career in software engineering, Scott has found many parallels between running and leadership.Scott discusses how 'personal bests' in running are a great analogy for agile software development. Running is the ultimate agile approach to a problem where some days you get personal bests and other days take much longer.Some weeks in projects can be amazing and moving forward and other weeks things will struggle. Scott suggests that we must accept the ‘ups and downs’ as innovation is much more uncertain. Dreaming BigScott shares his motto that “Great leaders are not born or made they are chosen by the people they inspire”.He shares with Anni that his motto inspires everything he does in life even if its to encourage even one person to believe they can be more than what they thought. Whether that is the confidence to get running or as his role as a software engineering leader. He believes that many in the workplace constrain themselves by not dreaming big enough. His experience with the running challenge has shown others that you can achieve anything with sustained effort, self-belief and the support of others. Creating a resilient workplace cultureThey discuss the importance of staying healthy, in order to run but also stay healthy in order to lead and create a healthy workplace culture in which people can be their best even though they may have days, bad days and good days. He said that “The thing that really appeals to me about running, particularly Ultra running is the way athletes talk about it. They very rarely see that as a physical challenge it is all a mental challenge. And I think in the corporate world, the vast majority of help navigating and leading is really mental strength and finding you have been resilient both for yourself and for your people” Think bigger than you ever thought possible Scott is passionate that we should all dream bigger and ‘higher than we ever thought possible’ and that even if we don’t get there to not beat ourselves up- just work hard and be consistent- whether it’s a running challenge or a workplace one. Listen to the full episode to hear about:Scott shares his personal leadership story and participation in the Just Running it challengeThe parallels between running and leadership Importance of a healthy culture and encouraging others Leading through ups and downs Dreaming big to achieve your goals Discover more, donate and connect with ScottYou can follow their progress and discover more on justrunningit.com which has links to the pair’s YouTube channel and their fundraising page.You can also follow Scott on Instagram and Twitter @scottcsherwood

For episode 27 of the Leaders in Conversation podcast, Anni talks to sustainable business leader, adventurer and proud family man Dougal Fleming.Dougal talks passionately to Anni about sustainable business and manufacture practices and how his family and community values, alongside a love of the natural world, have shaped his leadership. He also talks openly about the evolution of his professional identity, and why he is keen to empower other business leaders.Background and philopsophy Over the past six years, Dougal has been the public face of Alistair Fleming Design, an award-winning bespoke kitchen design consultancy based in Lewes, East Sussex. Working alongside company Director, his father Alistair. Dougal is passionate about sustainable design and fostering sustainable business growth practices aligned to the circular economy. Having been trained by the MD Hub in Business Leadership, he is now presenting and facilitating Business Model workgroups to introduce circular principles and profitable, environmentally-conscious additional revenue streams.The circular economy, he explains, is a way for business leaders to “unleash [themselves] from the commonly accepted linear economic model” towards a more eco-conscious way of working, and way of producing. This is achieved through a three-pronged approach that considers: 1. Design out waste & pollution. 2. keep products and materials in use. 3 Regenerate natural systems.Nature connectionDougal’s desire to be in sync with, and of benefit to, the natural world comes from both his family’s deep-rooted connection to nature and his personal experiences. As an avid adventurer and traveler, Dougal has rock climbed, kayaked, sailed, skied and cycled his way around Europe and South America as an outdoor instructor. When he’s not with client’s in the Alistair Fleming studio, he offers rewilding adventure tours in the Sussex Downs. His tours give people a chance to “re-wild their instincts” and tune in to the “conversations” of the natural world. He is also a proud partner and father to his young family, and is a coach at a men's football team in Lewes.Commenting on how he divides his time, he tells Anni it “takes a lot of energy”. This zest for life is something he has inherited from his mother in particular, he reveals.Finally, Dougal shares some tips for leaders and business, including “peer to peer listening” because “sometimes being an MD, or being a leader can be a lonely place.”Listen to the full episode to discover Family dynamics and the impact of family heritage and family valuesHow personal identity can shift and evolveThe importance of partnerships and collaboration in the communityThe circular economy and butterfly diagram as a means to achieving more sustainable production and business practices Adding cyclical loops into your business model to generate more revenueWhy businesses and governments need more leaders who speak the language of nature The power of taking business conversations outsideNature connection as a force for good and how rewilding can reawaken the senses Using outdoor sport (football) as a way to break down barriers and build friendships and healthy competitionFind out more and connect with Dougal Discover more at alistairflemingdesign.co.uk or connect with Alistair and Dougal on instagram @alistairflemingdesign. You can find Dougal’s rewilding tours under @rewild_adventure

To coincide with the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference, for episode 26 of the Leaders in Conversation Podcast, Anni welcomes passionate nature campaigner Tor Lawrence. For almost 25 years, Tor has developed a successful career in wildlife, conservation, the environment and community engagement and is now Chief Executive Officer of Sussex Wildlife Trust.She talks to Anni about her evolving love for the great outdoors, nature connection as a dynamic experience, her hopes for COP26 and she reveals some of her leadership principles.Nature connection as a dynamic experience Despite Growing up in Lewes, a rural East Sussex town nestled in the South Downs National Park, Tor expresses how she did not have an early affinity with nature. Her love of nature developed over time, nourishing and supporting her personal wellbeing through periods of difficulty until it became part of her DNA. “I'm someone who's learnt how a deficit of nature can shape someone,” she comments. She is now passionate about helping others to enjoy nature and connect to the environment, especially those who have not grown up with nature as a key part of their lives. Tor explains: “When we talk about trying to make a better world for the future, we cannot build that on nostalgia. We have to build that on a vision and collaboration for a better world. We cannot assume that everyone has had abundance of nature in their life.”Collaborative leadership principlesFor colleagues at Sussex Wildlife Trust, Tor is enabling that sense of collaborative vision-setting by ensuring everybody feels seen and heard through an inclusive culture. She shares some of her leadership tactics, including open team meetings where every single employee is encouraged to speak for two minutes without judgement. “We've got to be enabling the leaders of the future people to feel able to speak up without backlash or without blame,” she confirms.COP56 and accountabilityAnni and Tor discuss how the environment is a “non-negotiable” part of leadership, which is critical to every business. And why businesses need to be more accountable. Tor goes on to share one of her key hopes for COP26 is that senior leaders there will stand up and take ownership of the current climate challenges. Ultimately, she believes it is about giving people confidence.“We can't have a situation where people feel incredibly deflated afterwards,” she comments. “[We need] people to feel they come out with some real prizes, that we've got people being authentic and making real, really good decisions for the future.” Listen to the full episode to hear about:How trauma can create disconnection to nature and the environmentThe impact of organisational trauma and organisational impulseWhat nature connection looks like for different people ‘Catapulting’ yourself to a better place through nature connectionBeing brave - why it is crucial to speak up for ourselves in order to speak up for natureEncouraging others Self-awareness in senior leadership Creating boundaries and structure for people to flourishFind out more For information on Sussex Wildlife Trust visit sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk or connect with the team: facebook.com/SussexWildlifeTrust | Twitter @SussexWildlife | Instagram @SussexWildlifeTrust For info on COP26 visit ukcop26.org

'We are our biggest source of inspiration'For the 25th Leaders in Conversation podcast, Anni talks to the wonderful Elif Köse, a fashion designer and entrepreneur who is passionate about raising women’s confidence.Originally from Turkey, Elif came to the UK in 2009 on what was initially a year-long trip to learn the English language. However, as she explains “the opportunities come when you start on a journey”. And so she grabbed an opportunity to start a business in clothing alterations. Now, twelve years later, Elif has worked with many designers and retailers and launched a successful fashion line under her own name, Elif Köse Fashion House. She talks to Annni about the mission for her brand, which is ‘for every woman to feel empowered and beautiful, knowing they have the confidence to do and achieve anything’.Elif shares the inspiration behind this statement. She was motivated by her own freedom of choice upon relocating to the UK, something she lacked growing up due to cultural differences and the impact of her beloved, albeit controlling father. “I didn't have a choice myself and I knew how much it impacted my feelings as a woman,” she reveals.Elif wants to empower other women through personal choice and personal style and has extended her fashion brand to other areas of personal development, including 1:1 coaching and a podcast. She also recently delivered a Confidence Leads to Success interview series, spotlighting successful women, which she is turning into an e-book.Throughout the episode, Elif talks to Anni about building her own confidence, overcoming fears like public speaking and she shares some of the common traits of successful women.Listen to the podcast to discover:The power of choice and finding your voice Drastically improving confidence through fashion and personal styleFinding sources of inspiration from outside and withinAcknowledging and learning from your mistakes Delivering a message with confidenceThe impact of shaping your mission and striving for it Why women must stop seeking external acknowledgement and realise their worthThe importance of networking and local community building for business growthDiscover more and connect with Elif To find out more about Elif and to browse her latest styles and collections, visit her online boutique elifkose.co.ukYou can also find details of Elif’s coaching programmes, Confidence Podcast, the Confidence Leads to Success interview series and more on her dedicated Linktree account linktr.ee/elifkoseofficial Connect with Elif on the usual channels including Facebook @elifkoseuk, Instagram @elifkoseofficial and @elifkosefashionhouse

Anni Townend talks to celebrated Chef, best-selling author and low-carb campaigner, Giancarlo Caldesi, who is on a mission to help people combat type two diabetes to live a happier, healthier life. Born in Montepulciano in rural Tuscany in the early 50s, Giancarlo came from humble roots, growing up in a farming community. He reflects on this “formative” period and how it has impacted his life, recalling that from a young age he was subject to violence, heartache and extreme challenges.He has been on a long journey since then, with a varied career path that has taken him from the Italian Army to London where he has launched renowned kitchens for many brands, including his own Caldesi establishments.Now, together with wife and business partner Katie, Giancarlo is a successful and influential entrepreneur. They manage two popular Italian restaurants, have written a number of cooking and lifestyle books including the Amazon best-seller The Diabetes Weight-loss Cookbook. They also run a cookery school, regularly appear on TV and have two children together.In this fascinating conversation, Giancarlo opens up to Anni about his transformational journey and why a proud pasta loving Italian became a low-carb crusader.Listen to the full episode to discover The impact of early years and cultural heritageLearning to respond to and adapt to your current environment Embracing your talents as a gift and evolving themThe importance of respect and integrity in leadershipListening to and paying attention to your instinctsThe role of self-love, self-value and self-motivationDiscover more and connect with the Caldesi’sTo find out more about Giancarlo and his wife Katie, visit the website www.caldesi.com where you will find details of their restaurants, cookery school and books. You can also find out more about their campaign work at lowcarbtogether.com

For the Leaders in Conversation Podcast episode 23, Anni talks to Fi Macmillan, adventurer, coach, supervisor, entrepreneur and founder of Wild Leadership.“Life is the most blessed experiment. So let's experiment and see what happens.”As a leadership coach, Fi specialises in helping her clients to connect through nature and what she defines as “outdoor intelligence”. She talks to Anni about what this means and what inspired her own love of the outdoors. Fi recalls fondly how nature grounded her through difficult times as a child and why she reconnected to the outdoors later in life. Motivated by a break-up, her then young children, an energetic dog and a new zest for adventure. This nature reconnection has transformed her approach to leadership and her work with clients. Sharing her experience of finding space in the outdoors to work on self development, she reveals: “When we step over the threshold outside, something really different happens in our bodies at an unconscious level: we tune in, relax, our minds work better. If you step out by yourself, you will move much more deeply into connection with the natural world because you're alone.”Listen to the podcast to discover:How nature connection can drive profound changes in both the mind and body Using adventure or time outdoors to shift perspectives Learning to connect to the changes that want to emerge within us and within our teams and organisationsThe power of being alone in nature to develop deeper connection and focusSelf confidence and showing up as a leaderHow to bring adventurous spirit to the everyday by embracing daily freedoms and daily choicesThe benefits of wholehearted living Fi also reveals the most common challenges that senior leaders come to her with. And she shares three tips we can all use to raise our outdoor intelligence.Discover more and connect with FiTo find out more about Wild Leadership, including details of Fi’s coaching, supervision and leadership programmes visit wildleadership.co.uk

'See change as an opportunity, not a burden'For episode 22, Anni talks to the inspirational Marshah Dixon-Terry, a leading Career Coach and Organisational Development Consultant.Over the past 20 years, Marshah has helped senior leaders through transformational change in a range of settings and is passionate about helping people to reach their potential.Talking to Anni, she shares what has shaped her own journey, her values, beliefs and approach to coaching. And she reveals some strategies for successful leadership and culture change.Marshah reflects on how her childhood has greatly influenced who she is today. Growing up in north London with her St Lucian parents who immigrated to the UK in the 50s, she learned the importance of connection, growth, academic and social education, respect for others and grasping opportunities. She also shares recent experiences with her two sons, including some challenging home schooling.Marshah talks about a sense of pride in her family, past and heritage, which she says “propels me forward”. That recognition of individual worth extends to her work with clients. A thread that runs through everything she does is to “treat people as people, regardless of one’s background, education or opportunities”.Anni and Marshah also discuss the wider societal and workplace changes taking place, including diversity, inclusion and topics related to Covid-19 like remote and flexible working. They discuss how organisations can navigate these changes to shape their future vision. Finally, Marshah reveals three things leaders should consider in order to driving lasting and positive change.Listen to the full episode to hear Marshah’s experience and perspectives on:The role models effect - how showing faith in others inspires their self beliefDealing with challenge and how to reframe a challenge as an opportunityWhy we must see people equally, regardless of background, opportunity or privilege How to define and achieve authentic change Using change to drive meaningful impactThe importance of active listening, staying curious, learning from and caring about one another Working in a post pandemic world and why organisations must connect with employees to redefine collective goals and purposeFind out more and connect with MarshahTo find out more and connect with Marshah visit her LinkedIn profile or email [email protected]

In this episode Anni talks to Dawn Whittaker, Chief Fire Officer and CEO of East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, as well as NFCC lead for Drowning Prevention and Water Safety.Anni and Dawn talk about how early experiences ignited Dawn’s passion for safety and why as a leader she is committed to nurturing both physical and psychological safety.Background and career influencesGrowing up on a farm in Wales, Dawn learned to be pragmatic and safety-conscious at an early age. Along with her sister, she was a keen member of the Brownies, Guides and Rangers - always actively involved in team and community projects. She believes this to be a trait inherited from parents and grandparents.However, her real interest in fire safety was sparked on an Outward Bound course, whilst working for a company. Dawn was frustrated at the organiser’s failure to conduct any health safety briefings about fire exits and so after checking local procedures, she undertook a fire safety drill. “I think they all thought I'd lost the plot,” she reflects. In terms of her interest in water safety, it was a near drowning experience aged just 16 that had a lasting impact. Dawn is now the national lead for water safety and drowning prevention for the National Fire Chiefs Council in the UK, heading up the Be Water Aware campaign. The aim is to promote safe use of recreational water spaces.Dawn wasn’t always within the Fire Service however. In her early career she worked in the retail sector with The John Lewis Partnership, before moving into a managerial performance role at a County Council. Both roles led her to develop a passion for quality customer service and communication - something she has carried into her role at the Fire Service for over 17 years. Fighting fires during a pandemicDawn discusses the impact of the pandemic and praises her team who have worked tirelessly. In addition to provision of standard services, the Fire Service has been collaborating with partners like the Coastguard and supporting the local Ambulance Service with much-needed drivers through the pandemicHowever, she admits the pandemic has been tough on the service. Not least because it meant finding new ways to engage with the public. But also because many of her staff members have had to manage their duties alongside the emotional, financial and physical burden of Covid-19.“People might think firefighters, and our staff are all heroes and superheroes, and superhuman, but, do you know what, we're just people,” says Dawn.Inspirational leaders and inclusivityDawn reveals the many leaders who have inspired her journey, including colleagues from John Lewis and existing and retired Fire Service leaders like David Archer and Bruce Hoad, both of whom she praises for their commitment to driving inclusivity and equality in the service.Driving diversity is something close to Dawn's heart. She talks about being a role model and "holding a mirror up".Listen to the episode to discover:How childhood role models can shape actions in adult lifeCommunity values and teamworkSupporting employee wellbeing during the pandemic and beyondThe importance of collaboration in the communityWhy inclusivity and diversity is essential to the future workforce Celebrating human differences and the value these can bringFour key things all leaders should think about to unlock their potentialDiscover more and connect with DawnFor more information on East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service visit esfrs.orgYou can connect with Dawn Whittaker directly on LinkedIn.

‘Never give up, keep going and always have fun’ advice from a 7 year old runnerFor the 20th Leaders in Conversation Podcast episode, Anni talks to the amazing Sophie Harvey Sherwood, a seven year old girl from Glasgow who is running to celebrate inspirational women.On the week of International Women’s Day (08 March 2021), Sophie joined her dad Scott Sherwood on his Just Running It challenge, a 365 mega challenge in which Scott aims to run 10km every single day for a year in aid of Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity.As part of a school project on inspiring women, Sophie decided to dedicate each of her daily runs to a woman role model, starting with Courtney Dauwalter, America ultramarathon runner. Courtney has broken many records, often beating her male competitors to the finish line, in races of 100 miles and more. “Because I realised how far she ran, I was like, why don't I give it a go? See if I could run that much one day,” explains Sophie.Starting with a gentle 1km for her first run, Sophie has already increased her distance to over 3km and has a target of reaching 10km by the end of the year. Her efforts have attracted the admiration of the running community, including her idol Courtney who messaged Sophie with her well wishes on Instagram. The pair agree that feedback was “really motivating”.A lesson in determination, perseverance and teamworkSetting out on any endurance challenge, particularly one that lasts a whole year, is not without hurdles. However, Sophie and Scott have a unique mantra “to keep going”. They discuss with Anni the importance of perseverance and not giving up, supporting each other along the way.The challenge has naturally given them some special bonding time, which Scott says has created a real sense of team. He also reveals how running alongside Sophie as a new and much younger runner, has reignited his passion for running and showed him new perspectives. “I think I think it's given me a newfound sense of adventure in a world that I've lived for my whole life,” he explains.More Inspirational Women Anni talks about the inspiring women leaders she has met and they delve into the women carefully chosen by Sophie for her school project. The list includes designer Coco Chanel, English paleontologist Mary Anning, wartime nurse Mary Seacole, women’s right activist Emmeline Pankhurst and scientist Marie Curie, who Sophie says “would be working on the vaccine if she was still alive”.And of course, she talks about her supportive Mom who has taken up a Just Washing It challenge, which Sophie beams is “really fun”.Running for a better futureThe duo share a passion for the environment. Something that Scott, as VP of Engineering at Wood Mackenzie, a leading research and consultancy business for the global energy, chemicals, metals and mining industries, has no doubt passed down to his daughter. They’ve recently been nominated to be the ‘running Mayor for Glasgow’, part of an initiative that aims to encourage people to use active travel for short commutes or errands. They have also been spurred to take part in a run and litter picking challenge. She may be running for charity, for the environment and in the name of inspirational women, but Sophie thinks the biggest benefit is “getting to see the nature and the fresh air when it comes out”. As a hardy Scott, that even includes running in the rain.Discover more, donate and connect with Sophie and ScottYou can follow their progress and discover more on justrunningit.com which has links to the pair’s YouTube channel and their fundraising page.You can also follow Scott on Instagram and Twitter @scottcsherwood

The trauma, abandonment and privilege of boarding school with Thurstine Basset“We have had to overcome that sense that if you complain, you're just a privileged whinger, and that nobody wants to hear from privileged whingers,” Thurstine BassetFor the latest episode of the Leaders in Conversation Podcast with Anni Townend, Anni talks to Thurstine Basset, a boarding school survivor, author and mental health champion. Thurstine has co-authored a number of books on mental health including most recently Trauma, Abandonment and Privilege: A guide to therapeutic work with boarding school survivors with Nick Duffell.Born into an army family, Thurstine was sent to prep school from just eight years old, but despite always knowing he had a less than happy experience there, it wasn’t until some 20 years later that he really began to explore the personal impact. Persuaded by his psychotherapist wife, he attended a workshop for boarding school survivors, which started a long journey of realisation, discovery and wanting to help others. A shared experience of abandonmentAnni, who contributed to the book Trauma, Abandonment and Privilege, also shares her experience of being sent to the Mount for Girls boarding school in York - something she has rarely spoken about. She reveals a sense of abandonment and having to step over the “threshold” into boarding life. Like Thurstine, a feeling of privilege has prevented more open reflection on the experience. She also talks about “growing up fast” at a time when childhood should be cherished.Boarding school syndrome: A growing topic for psychotherapyBoarding school syndrome has become an increasingly prevalent topic for psychotherapy and therapists.“Although the schools themselves have become less brutal and more child friendly, actually referrals for therapy have gone up,” explains Thurstine. “The separation and the breaking of attachment is still there, and children are still feeling it and still having to survive it. And later on in adult life they're coming for help.” For those who have been through the boarding school system and may be struggling currently, Thurstine recommends opening the dialogue with friends and family. “I think the boarding school survivor, naturally wants to stay back from it, but when I went towards it, I found great relief and in a way, a new life opened up for me,” he explains.Listen to the full episode to discover;Survival and resilience in childrenOvercoming trauma and abandonmentThe burden of privilege and feeling silenced, unheard or judgedDealing with shame and self-worthThe importance of open conversations around boarding but Why it is difficult to get true feedback from minority groups boarders often conditioned to prize their education above all elseWhy according to Thurstine, boarding school is not suitable for young children Discover more For those looking for further information or support on the topic of boarding school, Thurstine recommends:Boarding School Survivors Boarding School Survivors Support Boarding Recovery Trauma Abandonment and Privilege is available on Amazon.Connect with ThurstineYou can connect with Thurstine on LinkedIn

The power of vulnerability and open conversations with Annabel VennerThe latest guest on the Leaders in conversation podcast is Annabel Venner, an expert Marketing Consultant and Chair of The Marketing Society Fellow.Having carved a successful 25+ year career in marketing, Annabel has worked for well known brands including Coca Cola and Hiscox before more recently moving into consultancy. Anni and Annabel became acquainted through the Marketing Leaders Programme, a joint venture between The Marketing Society and Accenture Interactive, of which Annabel is a regular speaker.In this incredibly open conversation, Annabel talks about both her personal and professional experiences, including highs and lows, love and loss, and all that’s shaped her in between. Looking back to her early experiences, she explains how growing up on a farm in Kent with her parents and two sisters gave her the opportunity from a young age to experience risk taking, for example learning to drive a tractor or operating farm machinery. An openness to risk is something that has motivated her professionally since. That’s why when offered the opportunity to work in Asia for three months, both Annabel and her husband agreed she should absolutely do it - challenging the archetypal gender roles in the family. For both partners, the period was a success. Annabel further evolved her marketing skill set and presented her children with a positive woman role model, while her husband cared for and nurtured them.Annabel reveals how observing her own father as someone who helped those around him in the family and the community, sparked her passion for wanting to support others. As well as being a Marketing Consultant, she is a committed mentor and advocate of the marketing profession, seeking to help those early in their marketing career through various initiatives.The power of vulnerabilityAnnabel opens up about bereavement, having tragically lost her husband to cancer in summer 2020 and more recently her mother too. She reflects on the importance of community and how those near to her provided an invaluable support network through such difficult times. She also shares how bereavement helped her to gain power through vulnerability, connecting to her emotions and self. Through loss, Annabel began to reevaluate the things that matter and she has learned to tune in to what she enjoys, which is why she has stepped more into the mentoring and charity work. And of course, caring for an allotment with her two teenage boys.Listen to the full episode to discover:The process of bereavement, loss and adapting Learning how to grow through vulnerability and why Annabel is teaching her sons about the value of vulnerability and emotions The importance of open conversations whether around the dinner table or having tough conversations in the boardroomChallenging gender stereotypes and embracing the role as the ‘breadwinner’ as a woman in businessWhy leaders need to create safe environments where people feel empowered to take risksHer career inspiration and aspirations and reconnecting to what mattersAnnabel also offers three pieces of advice for other leaders:Embrace risks or at least take hold of opportunities Don't be defined by your professional life and your job - really understand the bigger side of who you areBring your whole self and be vulnerable Discover more and connect with AnnabelTo find out more about Annabel’s work Consulting, Mentoring and Speaking visit www.annabelvenner.com or get in touch with via email: [email protected].

Ahead of the Scottish Parliaments elections on 06 May, Anni talks to Andrew Kerr, Chief Executive of The City of Edinburgh Council.This episode is packed with discussions as Andrew talks openly about everything from leading through a pandemic to the importance of family, community and working as a team. He also reveals his career inspirations and how an ex-miner from Ayrshire helped him to become the proud senior leader he is today, working in his dream job. Despite his prominent position in the council, Andrew was not always in the public sector. Following school, he worked as a professional athlete, representing Scotland and the UK in the 400m races. However, he knew athletics was a career with a limited time span and stepped into his first public service role as Manager at Grangemouth Stadium, Falkirk “In lots of ways it was opportunistic, but I realised early on that I enjoy the community part of being a public servant. And I've been there ever since,” he confirms.With a passion for contributing in the community, Andrew has gone on to nurture a 35 year (and counting) career as a public servant. He has worked in positions across England, Wales and now in the City of Edinburgh Council where he was named Chief Executive in 2015. Listen to this Leaders in Conversation Podcast to discover: Andrew’s early influencers and inspirations including the benefit of growing up in a supportive family that encouraged his passions like poetry writing, the flute and athleticsHow his running coach was a role model throughout life, providing a huge source of inspiration and shaping his approach to both personal development and senior leadershipWhy conquering his nerves in the stadium was an invaluable lesson in how to be a confident leader and to stay focused on the task in hand How staying active and learning to practice mindfulness became a useful tool in prioritising what’s important in order to stay focused, achieve more and deliver moreThe importance of teams both professionally and personally and supporting one another at all timeThe process behind shaping and defining values and putting them into practice Andrew also talks about leading through a pandemic and how it allowed him to deliver on his core value of helping the community. He honours those whose lives have been lost and pays tribute to the civil servants like teachers, janitors and bin collectors who have kept the UK going “without demand for extra overtime or extra anything, because they knew that we're doing good things for the community”. Finally, Andrew reveals his vision and ambitions for Edinburgh and Scotland and why “community wellness” is at the heart of The City of Edinburgh Council’s business plan. He talks about what the roadmap looks like, from collaboration with local partners to setting carbon targets and more.Discover moreTo find out more about The City of Edinburgh Councils including the strategy and plans visit edinburgh.gov.uk

In this fascinating episode, Anni talks to the highly respected Leadership Expert, Author and TED Speaker, Steve Radcliffe about what it means to be a trusted partner to leaders.With over 20 years experience in helping senior leaders be their best, Steve is most known for his leadership development programme, Future – Engage – Deliver (FED), which was founded and is now practiced by colleagues of Steve Radcliffe Associates. Steve is also author of the top leadership book in the UK, Leadership Plain and Simple.Steve talks to Anni about a deep-rooted willingness to help other people, which he says “manifested itself in different ways, in different times” throughout his life. He reveals how a chance dinner party with a friend led him on his own leadership journey, walking away from the corporate world and to eventually define his purpose: “to be a trusted partner to people trying to make a bigger difference in the world”.Throughout the episode, Steve touches on:Personal influencers like his father, who as a teacher was a source of early inspiration for guiding and helping othersHow to connect to what you care about and the energy that drives you to want to make a difference Creating safety and security within team environments Why education is key to recognising your limits and going beyond themStriving for an inclusive approach to helping all people to make a difference in the world, regardless of job titles, positions or background etcThe reward of developing leaders who are then better equipped to help others also The importance of family and friends, and establishing life-long friendshipsWherever you are in your own leadership journey, Steve offers a three-pronged approach to developing your potential: Connect to what you really care aboutCreate relationships that embrace open feedback Establish a support team and 'do not travel alone' On the last point, he explains: “If you want to make that bigger difference, you have to have a support team. And there are two reasons. One is that you will fall off the bike at times and others can help you get back on the bike by listening to you, by creating a safe space, giving you that encouragement and that bit of acknowledgment.“The second way that can be very powerful is at the heart of bringing other people with us to make a bigger difference in our impact on others. And this is something I've realised we cannot work out for ourselves.” More informationBoth Anni and Steve share a passion for helping individuals and teams to be at their confident best. We hope you enjoy this discussion on being a trusted leadership partner.To find out more and connect with Steve visit www.steveradcliffe.comDiscover Leadership Plain and Simple on amazon.co.ukConnect and collaborate with Anni Townend www.annitownend.com

The power of diversity of mentality with Hind FaragIn this Leaders in Conversation episode Anni talks to the amazing Hind Farag, a US-based Executive Coach and Strategy Consultant who is passionate about empowering senior leaders as well as underprivileged communities.As a Muslim woman born in Egypt and raised in Sudan before having lived in the UK, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and now in Houston, Texas, Hind has been shaped by the different cultures and communities that she has encountered along the way.“I was around students from all over the world, different cultures, different races, different religions. And I had to prove myself every time as a human being, that definitely had a lot to do with who I became today,” she reveals. However, through her own leadership journey, Hind realises that the impression and the impact she makes on people is not because of or limited to her religion or appearance, which to an extent has set her apart in European and US settings. Instead, she recognises how she learned to show up and present herself as a confident and capable woman leader.The encouragement of her father and family has played a key part in that development and recognition of self-value. However, Hind also reveals how other role models and leaders have helped to shape her as a leadership consultant. She talks about how “meeting Anni in Scotland was a pivotal moment in my life and career” which led to Hind “making a much larger impact across many, many larger communities.” Listen to the full episode to discover Hind’s journey and learn:How growing up in a community-led environment, particularly one that did not focus on individual gains, helped her to be a compassionate leader The inspiration and motivation behind Hind’s work in leadership developmentThe importance of of enabling and empowering people on both their individual and collective paths to help unlock a better future for everyoneWhy great leadership is about vision and intent and not about titles and accolades Breaking free from convention to be true to yourself and a truly powerful leaderWhy you should be ready to fail but not held back from the fear of failureHow ‘diversity of mentality’ makes leaders and organisations strongerFinally, Hind talks about her charity work. She co-founded the first non-profit organisation to support the refugee community in Houston. In collaboration with her son and a friend, she has also recently launched Gaps, a charity supporting underprivileged communities in Sudan and also Houston. The name Gaps came from the intention to find gaps in empowering the underprivileged, that were not being fulfilled by larger organisations or governments. Discover more and connect with HindYou can find out more on the website https://transformcnc.com or via Hind’s LinkedIn page. Gaps Charity is currently on Facebook www.facebook.com/gapscharity

Why developing my relationship with my mother has had the biggest impact on my leadershipAhead of the launch of the full Leaders in Conversation episode with the amazing Hind Farag, and in time for Mothering Sunday UK, Hind reveals why living with her Mom for the past five years has been a liberating learning and development experience. Hind, an Executive Coach and Strategy Consultant, talks to Anni about family trauma, the power of open communication and how nurturing the special mother, daughter relationship later in life has enabled her to show up as a leader. Listen to this 5 minute Leaders in Conversation Short or read the transcript below. And remember to watch out for the full episode coming out on 17 March in which Hind and Anni talk about culture, family, values, leadership and the power of diversity and inclusion.Hind Farag on the importance of her mother, daughter relationship in leadership "My mum has been living with me for 5+ plus because of deaths in the family and being alone, moving from Cairo to the US with me. I am now in my 40s so you would think a relationship at this point would be refined but we both had so much to learn about each other and about ourselves through our relationship with each other.A few years ago, I went through some major personal drama, or catastrophe: loosing a family member; going through divorce; changing jobs and moving from one continent to the other. It was everything that could ever change in somebody’s life - all changed in my life in just a couple of months. That was when my mom joined, around the same time. I read about how your relationship with your mom in your very early years forms who you are. Forms the extent to which you love yourself and treat yourself. But I didn’t read about how you can actually work on that in your 40s and how it can help you reform who you are being in the world. And it did. Talking about how I showed up as a leader, a lot of what I was holding back was due to what I thought based on my relationship with my Mom - that I was not supposed to show up. Because, opposed to my father for example, who really empowered me - he pretty much explicitly and implicitly through what he did, would always make me feel like there was no limit. There was no limit because I was a female. Because I come from a third-world country. Because of anything, there was no limit. He would not expect me limiting myself in any way. He would throw me in the middle of things and watch me from the distance. And my Mom was nothing below excellence can be expected. But she tends to be less firm about the fact there is no limit. In my head, I was thinking that my mom was limiting me or thinking that because I was a girl, I had much less to offer. And I had to be here with her for these past five years, for her to understand that is what she made me feel, and for me to understand that is not what she thought. And also for me to understand that it was never about what my Mom said, that much of it was about my perception of it and how I followed up on that. What I decided to hold back on and what I decided to bring out. I learned that was not only in how I related to my Mom, it was also in terms of how I related to the world. How I showed up as a leader. Because I felt that I was basically holding back on things, because showing up felt like it would destroy the relationship. I learned that being who I was (and fully who I was) by being very explicit with my Mom about what I like and what I don’t. And in a way, honestly teaching her to be explicit about who she was and what she wanted. That definitely elevated me like no leadership development exercise would ever elevate my impact."Connect with Hind FaragDiscover more: https://transformcnc.com