This week Janet Daby MP (Member of Parliament for Lewisham East) joins Verena Hefti MBE to discuss how she combines a big career with young children. Janet, who is a mother of 2, shares how she balances frequent evening commitments as an MP with being a present parent and what she has learned about dealing with feelings of guilt. There are lots of practical tips for anyone balancing a senior career whilst raising a family. We hope you enjoy the conversation. Show Notes: Visit Janet's website: ww...
Nov 30, 2023•47 min•Season 10Ep. 153
What is the root cause of the gender pay gap? What can we do as both individuals and employers to help close it? Following Equal Pay Day 2023 (the day in the year when - based on the gender pay gap - women overall in the UK stop being paid compared to men), Verena Hefti MBE is joined by financial wellbeing and pay gap analytics expert Melissa Blissett from UK Consultancy Barnett Waddingham to discuss the gender pay gap. The most recent Office of National Statistics Gender Pay Gap in the UK: 2023...
Nov 23, 2023•46 min•Season 10Ep. 152
“If we’re going to talk a good game about equality at work that also means men taking on childcare responsibilities.” Ahead of International Men's Day (19/11) Paul Morgan-Bentley, Head of Investigations at The Times and author of the brilliant book The Equal Parent joins Verena Hefti MBE. Paul is an advocate for men properly sharing responsibility for caring for their children. He shares what he and his husband Robin have gained from parenting their son Solly equally and how this has positively ...
Nov 16, 2023•44 min•Season 10Ep. 151
Our host Verena Hefti MBE is taking a short break from podcast recording this week. Instead, we revisit one of our most popular episodes featuring former The Times Senior Editor Mary Ann Sieghart. Mary Ann is the author of a really intriguing book, The Authority Gap, which analyses why women are taken less seriously than men and what we can do about it. The discussion includes: Why men and women can say the exact same thing yet it’s perceived differently A look at the latest evidence and researc...
Nov 09, 2023•42 min•Season 10Ep. 150
Can you work in the top positions and still be there for school pick up? Today Verena Hefti MBE is joined by Matthew Hayes, the Vice President & Managing Director of Technology From Sage. Matthew is a father to two young daughters and is combining a big career with raising small children. In the episode, he shares how he balances life in a very senior role (alongside working on a start-up) and is present with his daughters, including working flexibly and being there for school drop-offs. Thi...
Nov 02, 2023•46 min•Season 10Ep. 149
Applications to the Leaders Plus Fellowship close on 29 October. Download Application Pack. How do you know when you're ready to become a CEO? In this episode we are joined by Laura Citron, CEO of London & Partners, London's business growth and destination agency. Laura was appointed Chief Executive Officer whilst pregnant and shares why the CEO role is actually perfect for working parents. Wondering if you're ready to become a CEO? Laura shares her advice for anyone considering an upward ca...
Oct 26, 2023•45 min•Season 10Ep. 148
Applications to the Leaders Plus Fellowship close on 29 October 2023. Download Application Pack. Does Society Think That Men and Women are Equally Suitable to Lead? Today we are joined by Michelle Harrison, Global CEO of Kantar Public . Launched in 2018, The Reykjavik Index for Leadership measures and tracks progress in society’s perceptions of women and men’s suitability to lead across the G7 nations, as well as Australia, Iceland, Indonesia, Poland, Singapore, Spain and Thailand. After five ye...
Oct 19, 2023•54 min•Season 10Ep. 147
Applications to the Leaders Plus Fellowship close on 29 October 2023. Download Application Pack. “Give yourself the permission to be brave” Today we welcome Consultant Dr Jasmin Islam to the podcast. Jasmin balances two big roles alongside raising small children and splits her working hours between Kings College Hospital NHS & Clinical Public Health, United Kingdom Health Security Agency in London. Having recently returned from her second maternity leave, Jasmin joins Verena to discuss what ...
Oct 13, 2023•41 min•Season 10Ep. 146
Applications to the Leaders Plus Fellowship close on 29 October. Download Application Pack. “Have kind conversations with yourself - we are often our own harshest critics when we should be our own best supporter.” We interview the brilliant Kate Smith (Executive Director, Consulting - CBRE UK ) about what she has learned from dealing with her own assumptions about herself and where she stands on whether you should adapt at work to emulate the stereotypical male leaders. The discussion includes: ...
Oct 05, 2023•53 min•Season 10Ep. 145
At Big Careers, Small Children we are driving change for ambitious working parents. This #MondayMotivation bonus snippet from a previous episode shares a practical action you can implement this week to help you combine a big career with small children successfully. Advice today from Author and Researcher Alex Pang who shares practical suggestions on how you could begin implementing a 4 day working week. If you'd like to listen to Alex's conversation in full then head back to episode 32 of Big Ca...
Oct 02, 2023•7 min
Applications to the Leaders Plus Fellowship close on 29 October. Download Application Pack. “I can honestly say I’ve been more successful on 4 days a week than 5 days a week.” It's a pleasure to welcome back Dominic Holmes to the podcast. Dominic is a Partner at the law firm Mischon De Reya and has successfully resized his client facing role from 5 days a week to 4 days. He shares: How he successfully reduced his workload Why delegating is crucial How to set firm boundaries with your time Why he...
Sep 28, 2023•37 min•Season 10Ep. 144
At Big Careers, Small Children we are driving change for ambitious working parents. This #MondayMotivation bonus snippet from a previous episode shares a practical action you can implement this week to help you combine a big career with small children successfully. Advice today from Dr Jennifer Petriglieri (Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD ) who shares how to work with your partner (if you have one) to increase both your chances of career success. If you'd like to listen...
Sep 25, 2023•3 min
“You will have transferable skills - it’s just a question of identifying what they are.” Today we welcome back Independent Non-Executive Director Helen Gillett to the podcast. Helen shares: What a Non-Executive Director role involves How to get a Non-Executive Director position What being on a board actually means How you can successfully work your network How you can combine a Non-Executive Director role when you're a parent of young children We hope you enjoy the conversation. Show Notes: List...
Sep 21, 2023•38 min•Season 10Ep. 143
At Big Careers, Small Children we are driving change for ambitious working parents. This #MondayMotivation bonus snippet from a previous episode shares a practical action you can implement this week to help you combine a big career with small children successfully. Advice today from Vanessa Bohns (Professor of Organisational Behavior, Cornell University) who shares how you can get to 'yes' in negotiations and why you have more influence than you might think. A very useful skill when you're negot...
Sep 18, 2023•3 min
“With job sharing the company gets two people - two ideas, two heads, two brains.” Ours guests today Lydia Leipert and Rebecca Zöller job share a senior role at a Bavarian broadcaster and have even been nicknamed “Lydecca” by their colleagues. As they put it themselves - " between us we have 4 children, are 2 women and share 1 job". Lydia and Rebecca share the story of how they found each other, why job sharing can work so fantastically and how you can convince your employer to support you in a ...
Sep 14, 2023•38 min•Season 10Ep. 142
At Big Careers, Small Children we are driving change for ambitious working parents. This #MondayMotivation bonus snippet from a previous episode shares a practical action you can implement this week to help you progress your career in a way that works for your family. Advice from Anita Kerwin-Nye (Executive Director - YHA England & Wales) who shares the top three things she tells her own Mentees who are progressing their careers whilst raising young children. If you'd like to listen to Anita...
Sep 11, 2023•3 min
“Some of those lightbulb moments have actually come from engaging with people that come from totally different backgrounds, or totally different industries or have totally different perspectives.” Today we welcome global finance leader Drake Peabody to Big Careers, Small Children. Drake is an alumnus of the Leaders Plus Fellowship and Director of Group FP&A at IHS Towers, one of the largest independent owners, operators and developers of shared telecommunications infrastructure in the world....
Sep 07, 2023•44 min•Season 10Ep. 141
Ever find yourself drowning in a sea of endless responsibilities? Are you tired of feeling overwhelmed and in need of some practical solutions? Perhaps you need to address the microstress in your life. Microstresses are the small moments of stress that have insidiously infiltrated both our work and personal lives with invisible but devastating effects. These seemingly harmless everyday occurrences can zap our energy levels and impact our performance. Our guest today is Karen Dillon, an expert in...
Aug 31, 2023•49 min•Season 10Ep. 140
Over the summer host Verena Hefti MBE is taking a short break from podcast recording and instead, we'll be sharing some of her personal favourite episodes. This week we are revisiting the 2020 episode recorded with Dr Jennifer Petriglieri, an expert on how dual career couples can thrive in relationships both at home and at work. Jennifer shares the concrete steps you can take today to strengthen the positive impact of your relationship on your career. Plus there’s a breakdown of the 3 types of c...
Aug 24, 2023•52 min
Over the summer host Verena Hefti MBE is taking a short break from podcast recording and instead, we'll be sharing some of her personal favourite episodes. This week we revisit the episode with author and business leader Fiona McDonnell . Fiona's debut book Two Mirrors and a Cheetah offers inspiration and practical advice on finding career fulfilment. Including how you can challenge assumptions and choices that hold you back. Listen to the episode to learn how to: Identify your purpose and progr...
Aug 17, 2023•48 min
Over the summer host Verena Hefti MBE is taking a short break from podcast recording and instead, we'll be sharing some of her personal favourite episodes. This week we revisit the 2019 episode with former National Childbirth Trust (NCT) CEO, Nick Wilkie. Nick talks candidly about stepping away from his Chief Executive position at the NCT to be a full-time parent, allowing his partner to return a full-time leadership position and how he will ensure that headhunters still remember him when he ret...
Aug 10, 2023•42 min
Over the summer host, Verena Hefti MBE is taking a short break from podcast recording and instead, we'll be sharing some of her personal favourite episodes. This week we invite you to revisit the episode with Leaders Plus Fellow Lucy Walker who talks through how she became a Non-Executive Director and how you can become one too. Connect with Lucy on LinkedIn here . Useful Resources Mentioned by Lucy Women on Boards: www.womenonboards.net Nurole: www.nurole.com Dynamic Boards: www.dynamicboards.c...
Aug 03, 2023•33 min
Over the summer host, Verena Hefti MBE is taking a short break from interviewing to spend time with her family. We'll be revisiting some of the most popular episodes of the Big Careers, Small Children podcast for you to enjoy. This week we invite you to re-visit the 2020 episode with Anna Whitehouse (also known as Mother Pukka) who talks about setting up her flex appeal campaign and why she has pioneered change in flexible working. The wonderful news is since recording the podcast with Anna the ...
Jul 27, 2023•39 min
“One of the most important things is to have people who will mention you in a room when you’re not there.” Our guest today is Ashley Quinto Powell, a serial entrepreneur and the author of Executive Motherhood: The Art of Having It All Without Doing It All . Ashley founded the Virtual Assistant Agency, myVA Rocks and has spoken about motherhood for TEDx and many others. So what are the practical strategies working parents can use to really sell themselves when they are busy progressing their care...
Jul 13, 2023•37 min•Season 9Ep. 139
“No person grows like the parent who is just about to start primary school.” Will your child start a new school this year? As exciting as the school transition is for you and your child the school journey can bring an extra set of challenges for working parents. This week Leaders Plus Fellows Rajani Rao and Temi Olusola share their personal experience of having a child begin their school journey and the practical tips they have learned along the way. Discover: How to thrive when your child start...
Jul 06, 2023•48 min•Season 9Ep. 138
"I fundamentally believe we cannot have equality at work until we have equality at home." This week we welcome change maker Polly Mackenzie to the podcast. Driving change has been central to Polly's career which has spanned several high-profile roles. Polly was previously Director of Policy to then Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. After leaving Government, Polly established the operations of the Women’s Equality Party as well as founding the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute alongside Ma...
Jun 29, 2023•37 min•Season 9Ep. 137
“We all experience different types of meaning in our lives and we all have different sources of meaning in our lives.” If you feel you lack purpose, should you try to find the meaning of life? How can you increase the meaning you find in both life and work? Why are so many jobs unfulfilling and what practically can you do about it? Philosopher Christian Uhle joins Verena Hefti MBE for a frank discussion on meaning and how we can all increase the meaning in our lives. Find out more about Christia...
Jun 22, 2023•58 min•Season 9Ep. 136
“Compassionate leadership starts with the self.” As a leader how can you balance compassion for your colleagues with effectiveness in getting the job done? This week Verena is joined by the Assistant HR Director for NHS Ayrshire and Arryn, Ann Crumley, who has over 30 years of experience working in the NHS. They discuss: Why compassionate leadership starts with putting yourself first What has changed for working parents in the last 30 years, particularly in the NHS How to approach difficult conv...
Jun 15, 2023•48 min•Season 9Ep. 135
Is it possible to move a full time job down to 3 or 4 days without exhausting yourself in the process? In this episode, Leaders Plus Senior Leader Mentor Helen Gillett shares her experience of successfully resizing jobs and finding purposeful work. Following an award-winning career as a leader in the utilities and wellbeing sector, Helen has now entered a phase of portfolio non-executive and advisory work. Helen and Verena discuss: Moving a full time job to 3 or 4 days without exhausting yoursel...
Jun 08, 2023•47 min•Season 9Ep. 134
Can silence be a powerful tool in the workplace? Join us as we explore this intriguing concept with this week's guest, John Higgins, an academic researcher and expert on speaking truth to power and workplace activism. In this episode, John shares with Verena how embracing silence can help us build connections, understand others' stories, and foster a more inclusive environment. They also discuss the importance of changing norms for working parents and recognising the consequences of privilege in...
May 25, 2023•47 min•Season 9Ep. 133
