Podcast
Hello, and welcome to A Human Perspective Podcast.
On this podcast, I share very human thoughts and perspectives on a range of People related topics.
I also frequently chop it up with guests who share their own perspectives.
Now, I can't promise everything you hear on this podcast will always be right, but I can promise to always give you
A Human Perspective.
Let’s Go! 😊 🙌🏾
17 September 2024
what is product? (with martin pannier)
In today's episode, I sit down with Martin Pannier, Founder of Primo, to explore the intricacies of Product. With over a decade of experience in roles at Gusto and iziwork, Martin offers invaluable insights into scaling tech companies, the importance of a Product culture, and the challenges of launching and managing a Product team. This conversation covers the evolution of Product roles, key considerations for Founders, the necessity of customer-centricity, and the strategic importance of empowering Product teams. A must-watch for anyone interested in the dynamics of Product Management and tech startups.
6 February 2024
Deconstructing Imposter Syndrome: An Open & Honest Conversation with My Friends
On this episode, I'm joined by a couple of close and long-time friends, Mala and Kemi. We chop it up as we normally would whenever we meet up... but maybe a little calmer!
We discuss our thoughts on Imposter Syndrome. What it means to us. How it shows up in our professional lives. How we manage the related feelings. The factors that may create the feeling in the first place, and so on.
This is an open and honest conversation between three professional women and dear friends.
24 October 2023
Transitioning from consultancy to startup (with Richard Rosser)
This week, I speak to Richard Rosser, Co-Founder of Movemeon, a platform that helps consultants navigate their career within and beyond consulting firms.
Rich and his Co-Founder met each other while at McKinsey and decided to take a leap into the world of HR Tech after an exhausting experience during their own job search when they had made the decision to leave consultancy.
Rich and I discuss the allure of leaving consultancy for startups and the many nuances of this of this experience. Having worked as a Strategy Consultant, himself, setting up several start-ups and working with many more, Richard was the perfect person to have this conversation with.
Though this conversation is focussed on those considering leaving consultancy or have left, much of what we discuss and share can be helpful for most listeners considering a new opportunity or working for a startup.
12 September 2023
Navigating Leadership as a black female (with Chichi Eruchalu)
Chichi Eruchalu is an Executive Leadership Coach, Speaker and a 2023 Top Voice on LinkedIn.
When I reached out to Chichi, it was because of her very human perspective on leadership, and I was keen to explore this further with her. However, Chichi suggested getting more specific and discussing black female leadership.
I was a little nervous about this conversation because it’s one normally had with friends or family in private settings, but then I thought, why hide? Speak up and out loud. It may help someone, educate another, and do both for others.
I’ve listened to this episode many times… and the best way I can describe it is as a layer cake… and boy are there many layers to this conversation!
Thanks for suggesting this topic, Chichi. I encourage everyone to listen to it, regardless of your background. There’s a lot to understand and learn here.
29 August 2023
The Good Busy (with Kate Sotsenko)
We’re back from another short but needed hiatus, and our guest this episode is Kate Sotsenko. This episode is so apt for those coming back from the summer break, looking to redefine how they approach work.
I came across Kate on LinkedIn where she was sharing some very useful productivity tips. Kate is a productivity educator and coach who has coined a concept called The Good Busy and shares fantastic playbooks that draws from her 10 years in sports and 15 years in business.
Kate works with busy team leaders, helping them to optimise their productivity and reclaim time for what truly matters at work and beyond work.
On this episode, Kate and I discuss The Good Busy.
21 June 2023
Life as a Late-Diagnosed Autistic Person (with Natalie Wood)
Meet Natalie Wood, VP Engineering at Hokodo. Natalie and I met during my time at Elsevier and I remember at the time admiring Natalie's approach working style. Methodical, great attention to detail, and just bloody smart, to be honest! 💡
A couple of months back, Natalie shared an informative post and slides for Autism Awareness on LinkedIn. What made it so impactful was Natalie’s vulnerability, sharing that she had recently been diagnosed as autistic in the past year.
This realisation and confirmation has been what Natalie effectively describes as an ongoing journey.
In this week’s episode of A Human Perspective, Natalie provides an insight into her past and present, and opens up in a way I have not experienced with a guest on this podcast before.
I want to thank Natalie for sharing so much, about her personal life, professional life and all she has learned. I also want to thank Natalie for the efforts she puts into helping to educate others.
♾️
14 June 2023
How to Move Forward After a Layoff
This year has seen around a quarter of a million people being laid off in the Tech space alone. I’ve said this before, I don’t see this trend coming to an end any time soon. I talk more specifically about layoffs in a previous episode, ‘When the Bubble Bursts: The Layoffs of 2022’. You can find out more there about my opinion on these layoffs, what is happening, etc.
In this particular episode, I focus more on the people being impacted by these layoffs. This is particularly rough ride for them. Not only are you having to come to terms with being made redundant but because this is now so common, you have company… and yeah, there may be some comfort in that but… you have a lot of company.
If you’re in this position, this episode is for you.
7 June 2023
Masculinity, Men’s Health & Leadership (with Jack Villiers)
On this week's episode, we have Jack Villiers. Jack is a Leadership Coach, Men's Guide and Public Speaker whose goal is to make healthy masculinity mainstream. With extensive experience in Talent Acquisition and People Operations and contributing to the successful growth of companies such as Monzo, Just Eat and incident.io, Jack set up his own consulting company in order to help even more businesses, leaders and leadership teams.
Jack and I talk about masculinity and the recent shift he has made to focus on guiding men and male leaders to find balance and a healthier way of participating in today's world.
Although Jack and I have interacted very briefly in the past, he popped on my radar again when I saw a post he shared on LinkedIn, showing a large group of men, standing in a circle in an open rural expense. It is beautiful!
To find out more about Jack or work with him in some capacity, please visit his website or connect with Jack on LinkedIn.
31 May 2023
The Consciousness of unconscious bias
Some people feel bias is unconscious or simply another term for decision-making. In this episode we discuss the concept of unconscious bias and my thoughts on the topic as a whole.
23 May 2023
What Matters To you?
Off the back of Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK ending, In this episode, I share some musings on the link between mental health and social media.
17 May 2023
digital wellbeing (with Sam Flynn)
On this week’s episode, we speak to Sam Flynn about Digital Wellbeing. Sam is a Digital Wellbeing and Social Media Coach, Trainer and Speaker.
Since the pandemic, our feeling of isolation has increased alongside our use of social media and technology - both in our personal and professional lives.
Sam and I discuss the concept of digital wellbeing and Sam also shares some brilliant tips to help your improve your digital wellbeing.
10 May 2023
Building an Effective Software Engineering Team (with Vasco Figueira)
Meet Vasco Figueira, a Senior / Lead Software Engineer, I was lucky enough to work with at a previous company. Curious by nature, with the ability to balance pragmatism with the constant pursuit for excellence, Vasco is always a great person to have a conversation with.
Vasco and I discuss how to build effective software engineering teams. The conversations kicks off what the definition of what an effective team is, how an effective team works under different types of leadership styles, with other teams and externally. We also discuss the importance of the first technical hire and wrap up with a discussion on the importance of a solid interview process.
3 May 2023
Lessons from 2022
For the past couple of years I have been sharing my lessons from the previous year.
Last year was a little different. I experienced a lot of drastic changes, I stood up for myself in ways I hadn’t for some time, I took chances and I remembered some truths I’ve always known but buried. But I didn’t get the chance to properly reflect until the end of the year… and to be completely honest, I’m still reflecting now.
5 December 2022
Journey from law to mobile technology (with tim carter)
Join me as I talk to Tim Carter, a Partnerships Consultant and Ecosystems Coach. Tim's forté is helping companies assess their current position, identify opportunities and challenges and put in place a plan to enable progress and consequently, growth.
On this episode, Tim talks about his career transition from law to mobile technology, and how he joined Google at a pivotal time after acquiring Android. Tim went on to head up Android Strategic Partnerships for the EMEA region at Google.
Visit Tim's website to find out more.
26 November 2022
Leadership in a Fast Growth Start-up (with Stephanie Bowker)
I had a wonderful conversation with Stephanie Bowker, former VP of Marketing at Spendesk and now Co-Founder & CMO at Ourspace, a platform enabling tech leaders to make smarter org design decisions through complete context and peer alignment.
Our chat covers Steph's experience of working and being a leader in a first growth start-up, and the lessons she is taking into her new venture, Ourspace.
8 October 2022
What Does a Recruiter Do? Pt 2
I started off my career as a Recruiter and still dabble in recruitment from time-to-time. If you’re to go by the many the negative comments on LinkedIn, Recruiters often get a bad wrap. Yes, there are some awful Recruiters out there but that doesn’t mean there aren’t amazing people too.
This is the first of duo episodes. In this first portion, we will discuss the work Recruiters do with internal stakeholders. The second part, next week’s episode will focus on the work Recruiters do with candidates.
3 October 2022
What Does a Recruiter Do? Pt 1
I started off my career as a Recruiter and still dabble in recruitment from time-to-time. If you’re to go by the many the negative comments on LinkedIn, Recruiters often get a bad wrap. Yes, there are some awful Recruiters out there but that doesn’t mean there aren’t amazing people too.
This is the first of duo episodes. In this first portion, we will discuss the work Recruiters do with internal stakeholders. The second part, next week’s episode will focus on the work Recruiters do with candidates.
26 September 2022
How to Approach People on LinkedIn
I received a LinkedIn message from someone asking for advice a couple of weeks back, and I am yet to respond. I nearly responded, but not to answer the call for advice, but to give advice on how to approach people on LinkedIn. This episode is for that person, and anyone else who may need guidance on how to approach people on LinkedIn.
If you’ve never approached someone on LinkedIn before it can be daunting! How do you even start?
17 September 2022
Saying No at Work: To Your Manager
This episode is a follow-up to an episode released a few weeks back called, 'Saying No at Work: Workload Edition'. In this previous episode, we discussed the common occurrence of being overloaded at work, and how to push back or find ways around it.
However, let's face it, saying “No” is easier said than done. In this episode, we dive into this a little further.
10 September 2022
Working Remotely… Effectively
With more companies choosing remote working or at a minimum following a hybrid model than ever seen before, we are navigating uncharted waters en masse. Trying to understand what works and how to work in this new space, whilst considering the realities of juggling and prioritising personal lives and wellbeing.
One of the more tricky and also most important parts of working remotely effectively is the ability to build good relationships professionally and personally - both inside and outside of your team.
3 September 2022
Enablement & Onboarding (with Malvina El-Sayegh)
On this episode, Malvina El-Sayegh and I discuss the concept of Sales Enablement, it's importance, and future. We also explore how enablement and onboarding crossover.
As well as having extensive experience in the Enablement space, Malvina also has her own podcast, #stayhuman, and is also co-host of The Sales Enablement Brew. Go have a listen!
28 August 2022
Saying No at Work: Workload Edition
You are just about managing to spin all your plates and stay on top of your workload. Your manager loves the work you’ve been doing and asks if you can take on an additional project. They know you get things done and your results are always good, so it has to be you. But you know you’re just about coping. You know you shouldn’t take it on, you simply don’t have the bandwidth… but you don’t want to say no… or you feel you can’t?
I also recommend you listen to my podcast episode on Saying No to Meetings, it's a great starting point. 😊
25 June 2022
When the Bubble Bursts: The Layoffs of 2022
We're seeing an increasing number of companies in the start-up / scale-up tech space making people redundant this year. LinkedIn is littered with posts of people announcing they have been made redundant. Even companies like Netflix, that had massive wins during the pandemic are letting people go. In this episode I touch on some reasons why this may be happening.... now.
18 June 2022
A Cinderella Story
Ask most females who they first admired and emulated when they were very young, too many will tell you Cinderella... and I’m one of them.
This expectation of women to have a feather-like personality is planted so deeply, most are unaware of it, but it’s there and it’s impacting the way women are perceived and navigate the workplace.
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I am conscious I am approaching this topic discussing traditional gender roles and relationships. This is not to negate the experiences of others but to kickstart an important conversation. I also don’t want to assume I know or understand what those who don’t fit these norms experience. Please forgive me for any ignorance I may display, and do let me know if I could have approached this in a better way. I’m always open to feedback and learning.
14 June 2022
Remote Interviews: For Hiring Managers
The previous week I shared tips for candidates attending remote interviews. On this episode, we wrap up with advice for hiring managers.
Though easier to schedule in, remote interviews can be so difficult because you lose so much context when not sitting in the same room. It’s harder to connect or build rapport and people are harder to read. Their background setting may disrupt and influence your thoughts about them, the camera angle of the call may be off-putting... you’re now judging so many new factors we simply didn’t need to consider before.
This is where having a clear and solid interview process comes in.
7 June 2022
Remote Interviews: For Candidates
I’ve been actively recruiting again recently and noticed interviews are becoming easier to attend yet more difficult to navigate and judge. Not meeting face-to-face physically can mean you don’t get a good grasp of a person or company, and this can lead to mistakes being made on both sides, including a company hiring the wrong person due to not qualifying their skills correctly or communicating the responsibilities effectively or a candidate taking on a role, then joining and realising the culture is toxic or doesn’t align with their values. Sometimes the hiring manager is behaving too lackadaisical on the call, putting off the candidate... other times the candidate hasn’t paid attention to their surroundings and they’re not presenting themselves best on camera.
To help all involved, I’ve put together some tips to help both candidates and hiring managers better interview remotely. This week, we kick off with advice for candidates.
8 February 2022
The Weight of Speaking English
I’ve been pondering this topic for some time. Starting and stopping and starting from scratch over and over again. You see, the topic of of accents and English speaking ability is onion-layered but I do feel this is a very important conversation to have. I've tried my best to hit the areas I feel are particularly important.
When you hear someone with an accent, what judgements do you make?
1 February 2022
Handling a Resignation… Gracefully
The nature of resignations is changing. Where there was once a high probability of someone being convinced to stay, people are much more sure about wanting to leave and move on. With that, managers need to be much thoughtful and proactive about how they handle the exit of leavers. I’ve put together some tips based on my own learnings to help managers navigate this inevitable experience more effectively.
12 December 2021
Leadership & Coaching (with Peter Karius)
Meet Peter Karius, founder of Peter Karius Coaching and specialist leadership and career coach.
Peter had a successful career in a leadership position in one of the world's leading technology companies. Though Peter received some of the best training available, he still felt the training was missing something fundamental... a focus on leading yourself first.
On this episode, we discuss the ideas around leadership, leading yourself and the different routes to learning.
5 October 2021
Smiiile! 😊
On this episode of A Human Perspective we explore how Toxic Positivity shows up in the workplace and has a negative impact on both those who appear to be positive as well as those who don't.
The Psychology Group defines Toxic Positivity as "the overgeneralisation of a happy, optimistic state, that results in the denial, minimisation and invalidation of the authentic human emotional experience."
24 August 2021
Tech Recruitment Challenges (with Oliver Short)
I had a fun conversation with Oliver Short, Founder of SEEKR, a tech recruitment consultancy.
We talk about the current challenges of recruiting Software Developers. Our conversation touched on:
the expectations of hiring managers
the expectations of candidates
diversity
and Oliver's fantastic initiative DV8.
Find out more about DV8 @ https://www.d-v-8.com/.
4 August 2021
Company Culture (with Keisha Akinwunmi)
On this episode, I discuss the differences between large company culture vs small company culture with Keisha Akinwunmi, Talent Mobility Program Manager EMEA at Netflix.
This conversation evolved into a sneak peak of what life is like inside Netflix and why the company is so successful.
The concept of Freedom & Responsibility is easier said than done, but I believe Keisha has shared some key steps to reaching this Utopia.
25 July 2021
The Great Exodus of 2021
This year, companies are currently experiencing a higher level of resignations than usual. This phenomena is being referred to as The Great Resignation or Resignation Boom. 💣
According to a Microsoft report, The Work Trend Index, around 46% of the global workforce are considering leaving their employer this year. In this episode, I share some musings about some of the reasons this may be happening.
21 July 2021
False Acceptance & Football ⚽
In the previous podcast episode with Stijn Smet, he introduced the term, "False Acceptance"... and for some reason I have not been able to shake it.
When preparing for this episode, I was pondering how to demonstrate examples of False Acceptance, and then Bukayo Saka did not score the last penalty shot at the end of the Euro 2020 Finals...
30 June 2021
Pride & Prejudice (with Stijn Smet)
This is a special podcast, my first ever (published) interview and I couldn’t have asked for a better guest. A colleague, Stijn Smet, joined me to discuss Pride month and Prejudices. This is quite a vulnerable and exposing conversation for both of us. I’ve personally been nervous about sharing this because we do also touch on some of the prejudices I have to navigate as a black person. I hope you find this conversation helps to expand your mind and heart. ❤️
23 June 2021
Tips from a Recovering Workaholic
Everyone claims to be a hard worker in the summary of their CV profile, but for some of us, this is a harsh reality. I used to always proudly say I was a workaholic, but I didn't realise at the time that this was actually toxic. In this episode, I explore my experience with workaholism and I share some tips to help you support anyone you may know or work with who suffers in a similar way or perhaps to help yourself. ;)
19 May 2021
Mental Health Awareness Week: Intentions vs Goals
I'm back after a week away which happened to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK. I've come back from this break rested, calmer and with a fresh new outlook on intentions vs goals and appreciating the Now. ❤️
5 May 2021
It’s Not You, It’s Me: A Take On Being A Manager
Some people run towards managerial roles. They see this as progression, a reflection of their own superior knowledge and standing. Working in the tech space, I've learnt this is nonsense and pure ego.
28 April 2021
The Human Behind A Human Perspective
Find out a little about me, the human behind A Human Perspective.
21 April 2021
Saying No at Work: Meetings Edition
I recently stumbled across a great Harvard Business Review video on YouTube about How to Say No at Work.
If you are uncomfortable saying No, meetings are a great playing ground to build up this skill.
One thing I love about my current company, Silverfin, is we are proactively trying to find ways to bring back work-life balance to our employees. One of these initiatives is encouraging our team members to push back on the need for meetings, and where a meeting is booked, challenging start and end times, duration and insisting on an agenda. We're encouraging our team members to have boundaries to protect themselves.
The HBR video is a must-watch! Kudos to Christine Liu, Innovation Editor at HBR, for being so open.
14 April 2021
Tackling the Job Market: The Power of Research
I recently wrote a three-part series on tackling the job market, which touched on three core areas:
There is no perfect science to tackling the job market. However, I believe there are some key things you can do to increase the possibility of a productive and positive outcome. One common thread in all three articles is the need to research.