Power of the Parent

Welcome to the Power of the Parent podcast, hosted by me, Charlotte Speak. I’m a level 7 CMI accredited coach, strengths practitioner, Mental Health First Aider and Talent Consultant and I’m the face behind Power of the Parent®.    I love helping others be at their best and in this podcast, I’ll be speaking to working parents, business owners and we’ll share our top tips and advice on how we can create better environments for staff to work in, we’ll also explore the nature of the workplace and the value that parents bring.   Episodes will be released from Tuesday 11th May and I’d love for you to join us! If you’d like to get in touch you can email me on hello@poweroftheparent.co.uk and you can find me on Instagram @power.of.the.parent   Please share this with your friends, rate review and subscribe so other people can find the podcast.   See you very soon!

Hello and welcome to the first episode of the Power of the Parent podcast. I'm Charlotte Speak, the face behind Power of the Parent and I love nothing more than empowering parents at work. I’m a level 7 CMI accredited coach, strengths practitioner, Mental Health First Aider and Talent Consultant. This week on the podcast I talk to the brilliant Susie Lodge. Susie is the founder of www.wikiplacesforkids.com. We talk about all things parenting, work and self care. I loved chatting to Susie and hearing how she embraces flexibility within her business and her inspiring plans for growth. I hope you enjoy the episode! If you'd like to get in touch, please email me on hello@power-of-the-parent.com or you can find me on Instagram @power.of.the.parent. You can also visit my website www.power-of-the-parent.com If you've enjoyed this episode please rate and subscribe and tell all your friends so they can listen too!

This week on the podcast I am joined by the absolute powerhouse that is Ebony Lyon from Formy Books. Ebony and her partner Curtis set up Formy Books in 2020 to bring to life their passion for own voices children's books (Ebony explains what own voices books actually means in the episode). They are sharing stories created by Black creators from across the world one gorgeous book at a time. Their stories positively and accurately depict the richness of Black cultures for children of all backgrounds to enjoy. In our conversation we cover the publishing world, how Formy Books started AND Ebony's immaculate sense of style. Happy listening! If you'd like to get in touch, please email me on hello@power-of-the-parent.com or you can find me on Instagram @power.of.the.parent. You can also visit my website www.power-of-the-parent.com. If you've enjoyed this episode please rate and subscribe and tell all your friends so they can listen too!

This week on the podcast I am joined by one of my oldest friends, Andy. As well as being a parent, Andy is a teacher and during our chat he tell us all about how he changed his career from working in sales to moving in to education. Andy also shares what it was like working during Covid-19, as you can imagine it wasn't easy, but the genuine love and respect Andy has for his pupils is so lovely to hear. If you'd like to get in touch, please email me on hello@power-of-the-parent.com or you can find me on Instagram @ power.of.the.parent. You can also visit my website www.power-of-the-parent.com If you've enjoyed this episode please rate and subscribe and tell all your friends so they can listen too!

This week on the podcast I am joined by the brilliant Louise Deverell-Smith. Louise is the founder of flexible recruitment company, Daisy Chain. Her business works to match employers with perspective employees into flexible working positions that benefit both the company and the team. To find out more about Daisy Chain and the work they do, visit their website: https://daisy-chain.com If you'd like to get in touch, please email me on hello@power-of-the-parent.com or you can find me on Instagram @power.of.the.parent. You can also visit my website www.power-of-the-parent.com. If you've enjoyed this episode please rate and subscribe and tell all your friends so they can listen too!

I am thrilled to bring you this podcast with Michelle Gyimah from Equality Pays. In this episode we discuss pay gaps, parenting and negotiations in the workplace. I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Michelle and could have talked to her all day. Michelle's work is so inspiring and she makes such a difference to individuals and businesses. If you'd like to find out more about Michelle, visit her website: Equality Pays If you'd like to get in touch, please email me on hello@power-of-the-parent.com or you can find me on Instagram @power.of.the.parent. You can also visit my website www.power-of-the-parent.com. If you've enjoyed this episode please rate and subscribe and tell all your friends so they can listen too!

This week on the podcast I am joined by the brilliant Carina Tillson from Love Your Mealtimes. Carina works with busy people to take the pain out of meal planning and cooking and put the joy back into their mealtimes. We covered a lot of ground in our conversation from food planning, self care and feminism. I thoroughly enjoyed chatting to Carina and I hope you enjoy this episode too. You can find out more about Carina here: https://www.loveyourmealtimes.com/ If you'd like to get in touch, please email me on hello@power-of-the-parent.com or you can find me on Instagram @power.of.the.parent. You can also visit my website www.power-of-the-parent.com. If you've enjoyed this episode please rate and subscribe and tell all your friends so they can listen too!

Here's a sneaky bonus episode from season one of the Power of the Parent podcast for you! This week I speak to Lucy Critchley VA. Lucy is my podcast producer and all round good egg. In this episode we talk about maternity allowance, starting a business with a 5 month old and of course, self care. I asked Lucy if she'd come on because I was reflecting about the power of making things happen - nobody is going to be a bigger cheerleader for you than YOU - I wanted to start a podcast for ages but I wasn't championing myself. Along came Lucy who absolutely had my back and showed me how to believe in the message I wanted to share with the world. If you'd like to find out more about Lucy, check out her website here. If you'd like to get in touch, please email me on hello@power-of-the-parent.com or you can find me on Instagram @power.of.the.parent. You can also visit my website www.power-of-the-parent.com. If you've enjoyed this episode please rate and subscribe and tell all your friends so they can listen too. We'll see you soon for season two!

Trigger warning - child loss. In this week's episode I chat with Clare - digital content expert, queen of engagement, growth specialist and founder of Sunshine Digital. We talked about the impact of being a parent in the workplace when you're bringing in more revenue but working fewer hours than your peers, the experiences she gathered through a couple of different jobs and how she realised content and marketing was her work purpose. Clare also talks about the role her daughter, Charlotte, has played in Sunshine Digital. Charlotte passed away suddenly in 2017 when she was seven and a half months old, and Clare shares some of the things they've navigated as a family and ultimately the legacy Charlotte has left - she was their sunshine and that features front and centre in what Clare does. In Clare's own words, 'Charlotte made me fearless'. Amongst lots of other things we also touched on the realities of running your own business, feelings of failure, the brilliant highs, the importance of defining your version of success and some of our gripes with social media. If you want to find out more about Clare and what she does you can find her on instagram @claresunshinedigital.

What a catch up! Amrit Sandhar is the founder and CEO of The Engagement Coach where the team is all about developing (and challenging) cultures, leaders and colleagues.  As well as being a parent, Amrit is one of the most empathetic and compassionate people I've ever met, he's also a data lover and engagement specialist. Amrit is also a qualified pharmacist.  His advice to me in the early days of Power of the Parent was to 'hold your nerve' and we explored how this has come full circle for him too. We talked about navigating the last 18 months when you're running a business that employs other people, the weekend he channelled some Eeyore type energy and what his style is when faced with a crisis.  Amrit shared some of the conversations he has with his kids about the importance of plan B, C, D, E... and the rest. We chatted about the role curiosity has played for him, his love of organic chemistry (yes, really) and the big questions workplaces should be asking to better support and engage their teams. 

Roohi and Nida are educators, navigators of negative self talk, strengths advocates and believers that confidence shouldn't be a privilege. They are the founders of Nupwr, an organisation dedicated to inspire, uplift and empower women.  We talked about the dynamics of being a parent, an educator, a business owner and what it's like to work alongside your sister. Roohi and Nida generously share their thoughts on being heard, driving action and one of favourites - progress over perfection. We touched on confidence being a state not a trait, a reminder that emotions get to co-exist side by side, what sits behind feeling overwhelmed and the importance of learning from yourself.  You can find out more about Roohi and Nida, and the work they're so passionate about over on Instagram @nu.pw.r or on their website www.nupwr.co.uk

In this week's episode I'm talking with Helen Bryce - glorious human, my mate of 10 years, ultimate cheerleader, poet, author and founder of Guilty Mothers Club. Helen is also a parent of four kiddos and a total journalling pro - which we talked about loads and I got so many fresh perspectives on during this interview. Together, we explored Helen's transition from Guilty Mothers Club to poet, and all the emotion that has come from that. Helen was a total pro at embracing the vulnerabilities, sharing stories that will resonate with so many of us and the role that identity plays as a mother, business owner and human. Helen also writes under the name Nelly and she shared the beautiful story that sits behind that.  Helen has got lots of exciting plans coming up and I was thrilled to hear what's coming up. You can find Helen over on Insta @guiltymothersclub and @nellythewriter 

This week I'm talking to Clare, founder of Not Only Pink and Blue where the mission is to challenge stereotypes from birth. Originally a marketplace, Clare has shifted HOW she's sharing her work, which will now take the shape of a directory of amazing businesses who are committed and aligned to her purpose.  Clare generously shared how that pivot has come about and the realities accompanying it, and we chatted about the obvious question she gets - have you only been bothered about this stuff since becoming a parent? (Spoiler, she hasn't - wait for the 13 year old Clare story!) We rounded the episode off by talking about how businesses can get involved and why it isn't a 'nice' to do, but instead something that will make huge fundamental positive changes for now and in the future. You can find Clare on Insta on @notonlypinkblue and the website www.notonlypinkandblue.com.

In the final episode of series two, Charlotte is talking to Shwezin Win - founder of Win At Life coaching. She is a mum, a step-mum, a marketing expert and now a coach who works with parents, young adults and teens to curate a life where they feel able to thrive.  Shwezin shared her story of arriving in the UK at the impressionable age of seven, navigating the UK school system and the impact that has had on her in her later career. We explored some of the experiences parents are facing in the workplace and the importance of remembering that parenting is not one dimensional and linear in experience. Shwezin was the chair of the parents network in her previous employer so knows first hand the two worlds of being a parent and an employee can collide with a bang! If you want to find out more about Shwezin's work you can head over to her website or find her on LinkedIn.

I've got a very special bonus episode to share with you today - with the incredible Katie, who three years ago adopted her daughters.  Katie is a friend of a friend so I've known her for a little while, but we've never really talked about her experience of going through the adoption process. I saw that Katie had posted some eye watering numbers about the adoption rates dropping in the UK and a subsequent campaign that is currently running to help dispel some of the myths that surround it.  Katie shared so generously about the experience her and her husband going through adopting the girls, right from the first information evening through to the importance of them celebrating their family day each year.  Katie mentions it at the end of the podcast, but if you would like to talk to her or ask a question we didn't cover, please drop them to me on charlotte.speak@power-of-the-parent.com and I'll get them over to her.  After the recording Katie told me that currently self employed people are not entitled to statutory adoption leave which is a huge blocker and there is a petition to change it. If that's something you can support the link is here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/601323 to get some movement.

What a way to start season three of the podcast! Absolutely honoured to be joined by the brilliant Tinuke Awe – social entrepreneur who is passionate about all things Black motherhood. She was named British Vogue force for change in 2021 for her work with the Five x More campaign which calls for overdue improvements in Black maternal health in the UK. Tinuke is also the founder of Mums and Tea, a social platform for Black mothers which has over a 12,000 strong community. There’s also one more to add to the mix - Learning with Ez is the home of resources to support Black parents navigate through the experiences of parenting a neurodiverse child. And yep, she did the impossible and found time in her day to chat! Tinuke shares her story, how she manages her boundaries when the platforms she runs are so close to home, her hopes for Black mothers and the empowering and protective way she shares the stories of others. You can also find Tinuke on Instagram here.

In today’s episode we covered A LOT! Victorine is the founder of Baby Duet – a gorgeous business dedicated to creating unique baby clothing with delish hand drawn prints. We explored where it all started for Victorine and how it’s going… hello sustainability conversations!  We touched on the Baby Duet origins story (literally her kids were the inspo), the impacts of ‘hustle culture’ and the strong foundations her parents instilled in her. Victorine shares so authentically about managing the imbalance and her experience with the narrative of ‘having it all’.  You can find Victorine on Instagram and on the Baby Duet website.

Today I passed the mic to the wonderful Natalie, founder of Power Thoughts. Natalie works with children (and their parents) to know they have the power over their own thoughts. Through talks, workshops, programs and direct support (not to mention the incredible social media posts and reels) Natalie is on a mission to combine the importance of childhood experiences with building resilience to support kids in responding to challenges and obstacles in a resourceful and individual way. Previously a teacher and now a qualified coach, Natalie has worked with over 4000 children through Power Thoughts and it seems like the needs of her audience are only going to grow. You can find more from Natalie on Instagram or her website.

Holly is the Queen of helping you start and grow a sustainable business. An advocate of boundaries, staying curious about your relationship with social media and tenacious approach of deconstructing the overwhelm, Holly Curry is a total beacon of light with her website design expertise, business coaching and consultancy services. I’ve known and worked with Holly in some capacity for the last four years and I was overjoyed when she said she’d come for a chat – we explored everything from using your strengths, the importance of boundaries (and how they flex), re-brands and being a parent. I hope you love the insights as much as I did! You can find out more about Holly and the beautiful work she does on her website or through Instagram.

Today I’m joined by Hannah, one half of the Job Share Pair and what a chat it was! I’ve ‘known’ Hannah and Rachel over Instagram for a couple of years now but it was totally different actually chatting. We explored some of the myths around job sharing, Hannah’s experiences of being in a job share relationship and the mission that this incredible two-some hold. I came away inspired and hopeful more than anything, and with a list of conversation starters for organisations! You can find out more about the work of The Job Share Pair on their website or instagram.