Influence & Impact for Leaders

Conflict at work doesn’t have to be scary. In this episode of Influence & Impact for Leaders, I talk with Alice Driscoll and Louise Van Haarst, authors of Smart Conflict, about why avoiding tough conversations harms teams — and how to do them better.  You’ll hear the difference between task and relational conflict, learn their 5R model (Reflection, Regulation, Readiness, Response, Repair) and pick up quick, practical tips you can use to calm my nerves, land your message and repair relationships.  Alice Driscoll and Louise van Haarst are the founders of The Power House, a global leadership development and cultural transformation business on a mission to unlock human and organisational potential. They work with organisations including BBC Studios, PwC, Deutsche Bank, LVMH, Johnson & Johnson, ProperCorn, Bethnal Green Ventures and Zinc VC.  Their new book ‘Smart Conflict - how to have hard conversations at work’ is a highly practical, evidence-based guide to getting good at conflict and hard conversations at work. Whether your default conflict style is avoidant, inflexible or aggressive, this book will give you the tools to embrace Smart Conflict and transform your leadership, your team and maybe your life.  This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder.  Resources mentioned in this episode:  Buy Smart Conflict, How to have hard conversations at work:  https://mybook.to/SmartConflict    Download free resources including our read-along workbook: https://thepowerhouse.company/resources  Take the default conflict style and team diagnostics:  https://thepowerhouse.company/diagnostics  LinkedIn: Alice Driscoll  LinkedIn: Louise van Haarst   Work with Carla: Impactful Teams Scorecard – Discover how your team measures up and how you can grow your team’s impact. 1:1 Leadership Coaching with Carla – get support to help you get your voice heard at work and develop your career. Book a discovery call  📢 If This Resonated… Please share this episode with a fellow leader who needs to hear it.  Leave a review to support the show or reach out to me directly — I’d love to hear what landed most for you.   

In this episode, I’m delving into the common pitfall of many leaders - getting stuck in the weeds of daily tasks and acting operationally instead of strategically. If your calendar is packed with tasks your team should be able to handle, you might be trapped in an operational role rather than leading effectively. Discover how to rise above the day-to-day grind, lead strategically, and drive impact without burning out.  This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high-performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately to be better at your job without working harder.  In This Episode: Operational vs. Strategic Leadership Why Leaders Get Stuck in Doing The Cost of Staying in the Weeds Signs You’re Too Operational The Strategic Leader’s Role Building a Self-Sufficient Team  Creating Space for Strategic   Mentioned in This Episode: Episode 61 - How to be great at delegation. Episode 174 - How to be a coach-like manager with Jude Sclater.   Work with Carla: Impactful Teams Scorecard – Discover how your team measures up and how you can grow your team’s impact. 1:1 Leadership Coaching with Carla – Define your unique leadership brand and thrive outside the mould. Book a discovery call  📢 If This Resonated… Please share this episode with a fellow leader who needs to hear it.  Leave a review to support the show or reach out to me directly — I’d love to hear what landed most for you.   

In this episode, I’m joined once again by the brilliant Eleanor Tweddell, coach and change consultant and author of the new book Another Door Opens. You might remember her from an earlier episode where we talked about her first book on redundancy. This time, we’re diving into her fresh take on navigating change—one that acknowledges how messy and human it really is.  Eleanor introduces us to her five-step Change Mastery model, a practical and powerful framework designed to help leaders process change themselves before they try to lead others through it. We explore why traditional approaches to change often fall short, the emotional complexity leaders face in transition, and how we can show up more intentionally and empathetically during uncertain times.  This episode is for any leader navigating change themselves or trying to lead a team through transformation. Whether you’re facing restructures, technological shifts, personal crossroads—or simply the everyday micro-changes of life—this conversation offers clarity and compassion.  Episode highlights: Why change is rarely linear and almost never neat The difference between managing change and mastering it How leaders can work through change themselves before leading others The five steps of Eleanor’s Change Mastery model for leaders: Pause – Start by stopping. Create space to rest and think. Mess – Acknowledge the emotional complexity and personal impact. Play – Get curious and explore possibilities without pressure. Try – Take small, intentional steps forward. Restart – Begin again, but with clarity and intention.  This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder. About Eleanor Tweddell: Eleanor Tweddell is a coach, change consultant, facilitator, keynote speaker and author. After over two decades working in senior corporate management roles, including Whitbread, Virgin Atlantic and Vodafone, she founded Another Door with the mission of helping individuals, teams and businesses navigate change.   Website: Another Door LinkedIn: Eleanor Tweddell Book: Another Door Opens (Coming 4th September 2025)  Work with Eleanor: Eleanor now offers Change Mastery for Leaders and Change Mastery for Teams—high-impact workshops designed to help people navigate transition with intention and resilience.   Work with Carla: Impactful Teams Scorecard – Discover how your team measures up and how you can grow your team’s impact. 1:1 Leadership Coaching with Carla – Define your unique leadership brand and thrive outside the mould. Book a discovery call  📢 If This Resonated… Please share this episode with a fellow leader who needs to hear it.  Leave a review to support the show or reach...

Ever been in a meeting where you’re sharing an idea and suddenly someone pushes back? Maybe they say, “I don’t see how that would work,” or hit you with a question you weren’t expecting.  Your heart skips a beat. You’re thinking, “Uh… how do I respond without sounding defensive or totally thrown?”  If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. In this episode, I’m sharing practical strategies for handling objections and challenging questions in meetings with confidence, clarity, and composure. You’ll learn how to stay grounded in the moment, turn objections into opportunities, and even use these situations to boost your credibility.  In This Episode: My story of presenting my first strategy to a board - and what I learned the hard way about handling challenging questions Why objections trigger us (hello, imposter feelings and fear of being wrong!) How to reframe objections as engagement—not personal attacks 4 common types of challenging questions—and how to handle each The B.R.I.D.G.E. Framework for structured, confident responses Language you can use in the moment, even when caught off guard Mindset shifts to help you stay calm and in control under pressure  This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder.   Mentioned in This Episode: Impactful Teams Scorecard – Discover how your team measures up and how you can grow your team’s impact. 1:1 Leadership Coaching with Carla – Define your unique leadership brand and thrive outside the mould. Book a discovery call  📢 If This Resonated… Please share this episode with a fellow leader who needs to hear it.  Leave a review to support the show or reach out to me directly — I’d love to hear what landed most for you. 

In this episode, I’m excited to introduce my brand new co-host, Lara Cullen, as we launch a new series within the podcast: Impactful Teams.   We’re diving into what really makes a team impactful - not just in terms of performance, but in how aligned, influential, and sustainable their success is.  Lara and I share our brand-new Impactful Teams framework to help teams grow their impact. We talk about why psychological safety, emotional intelligence, and shared purpose are essential ingredients, and why even high-performing teams can still have hidden challenges holding them back.  We also share the story behind how Lara and I started working together and how our different but complementary strengths have shaped the way we support leaders and teams.  If you’re leading a team—or want to take your already successful team to the next level—this episode will give you practical insights and a clear starting point to increase your team's influence and impact.  In this episode, you’ll hear: Why I’ve invited Lara Cullen to co-host episodes focused on Impactful Teams The story of how we met and why we decided to collaborate Our Align–Amplify–Embed framework for building Impactful Teams What really drives team success (hint: it’s not just the individuals) The 5 key elements of team alignment using our TEAMS model How to amplify your team’s voice and influence across your organisation The importance of embedding change to make it last How you can find out how impactful your team really is right now  This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder.  Work with us: Impactful Teams Scorecard – It takes just 2 minutes to discover where your team is strong and where you might want to focus next. You’ll get personalised results—and for a limited time, you can also book a free 30-minute call to talk through them. Visit our new Impactful Teams website Work with Carla: 1:1 Leadership Coaching with Carla – get the support you need to thrive in your role. Book a discovery call  📢 If This Resonated… Please share this episode with a fellow leader who needs to hear it.  Leave a review to support the show or reach out to me directly — I’d love to hear what landed most for you.   

Have you just landed a new leadership role? Congratulations – now what? In this episode, I’m walking you through exactly how to set yourself up for success in your first 90 days and beyond. I’ve been a new senior leader multiple times myself, supported countless coaching clients through the transition, and even placed senior leaders when I ran a recruitment agency – so this is one of my favourite topics to share on.  Whether you're stepping into your first senior role or switching organizations at a senior level, I’ll help you avoid the common traps and start your new role with clarity and confidence.  🔍 What I cover in this episode: The biggest mistakes new leaders make – and how to avoid them Why over-promising and trying to "know it all" early on can derail your influence The Valley of Doom – why it’s real, and how to move through it faster The key mindset shift that will help you feel more confident when you don’t have all the answers How to start strong: building trust, strategic relationships, and team insight The conversations you must have with your line manager early on How to assess your team and create a leadership development plan What to do three months in: reflect, realign, and co-create your team’s future vision  This episode is packed with practical tips you can implement immediately – plus some heartfelt encouragement if you’re doubting yourself right now.  This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder.  Mentioned in This Episode:  Impactful Teams Scorecard – Discover how your team measures up and how you can grow your team’s impact. Need support in your new role? Coaching can help you navigate the transition with confidence. Drop me a message on LinkedIn or Book a discovery call   📢 If This Resonated…  Please share this episode with a fellow leader who needs to hear it.  Leave a review to support the show or reach out to me directly — I’d love to hear what landed most for you.   

Are you a leader who’s ever been told you’re too nice, too collaborative, too emotional, or just too different to fit into senior leadership?  Or perhaps you’ve never been told that but at some level you sense that you don’t fit the typical leadership mould.   In this episode, I’m flipping the script on outdated leadership expectations and exploring how your difference is actually your strength.  What You’ll Learn: What “the leadership mould” really is — and who it was built for The hidden cost of trying to fit into a leadership style that doesn’t align with your values Why traditional feedback like “you need more gravitas” often reflects bias, not fact The power of leading with empathy, reflection, and authenticity Real-life examples, including Jacinda Ardern’s leadership style and Carla’s own journey 3 practical shifts to help you embrace your leadership identity and develop to the next level of leadership  This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder.   Mentioned in This Episode:  Impactful Teams Scorecard – Discover how your team measures up and how you can grow your team’s impact. 1:1 Leadership Coaching with Carla – Define your unique leadership brand and thrive outside the mould. Book a discovery call  📢 If This Resonated…  Please share this episode with a fellow leader who needs to hear it.  Leave a review to support the show or reach out to me directly — I’d love to hear what landed most for you.   

When we think of a confident leader, we might imagine someone who always knows the right thing to do straight away or who has all the answers.  And then we feel bad because we like to think things through before responding, or we don't always know the answer.    Some of us can spend a fair bit of time negatively comparing ourselves to this fictional and seemingly perfect leader! That mental energy could be going somewhere far more productive so in this mini episode I want to unpick the myth that a good leader always has the answers.  This is Influence & Impact for Leaders with Carla Miller, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder.  Stay in Touch: If you're tuning in on Apple Podcasts, click follow so you never miss an update.  Spread the Love: On June 16th or 17th, share the podcast on social media or leave a review on Apple podcasts. Snap a screenshot and send it to hello@carlamiller.co.uk, and I'll send you an exclusive pack of my Influence & Impact affirmation cards as a thank you.  Work with Carla: To chat about hiring Carla as your coach or to work with your team book a call or visit carlamiller.co.uk.  

Work can be a lot sometimes!  How often do you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by all the things you need to do and how much work it’s going to take to do them properly? It’s making me stressed just thinking about it!    In this mini episode, I’m going to share with you a simple but truly effective way to dial back that overwhelm and make things simpler for yourself.    This is Influence & Impact for Leaders with Carla Miller, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder.  Stay in Touch: If you're tuning in on Apple Podcasts, click follow so you never miss an update.  Spread the Love: On June 16th or 17th, share the podcast on social media or leave a review on Apple podcasts. Snap a screenshot and send it to hello@carlamiller.co.uk, and I'll send you an exclusive pack of my Influence & Impact affirmation cards as a thank you.  Work with Carla: To chat about hiring Carla as your coach or to work with your team book a call or visit carlamiller.co.uk.  

The Influence & Impact podcast is back after a 3 month break and it has had a refresh.  This mini episode shares what’s staying the same, what’s changing and why.  This is Influence & Impact for Leaders with Carla Miller, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder.  Stay in Touch: If you're tuning in on Apple Podcasts, click follow so you never miss an update.  Spread the Love: On June 16th or 17th, share the podcast on social media or leave a review on Apple podcasts. Snap a screenshot and send it to hello@carlamiller.co.uk, and I'll send you an exclusive pack of my Influence & Impact affirmation cards as a thank you.  Work with Carla: To chat about hiring Carla as your coach or to work with your team book a call or visit carlamiller.co.uk.  

Many leaders struggle with making tough decisions and dealing with their aftermath. In this episode Sarah Miller, CEO at leading global ethics consultancy Principia, shares how ethics can provide a set of resources and tools to use within decision-making, guiding how we lead as individuals from our own place of values, but probably more critically, how we engage with others who bring their own sets of values.    In our conversation we discuss…  How to weigh different perspectives and ‘effectively deliberate’  The ‘transparency and fairness tests’ you can apply to decisions  Creating safe spaces for difficult discussions after hard decisions  The concept of the ‘moral remainder’ and how it will help you navigate hard decisions and their aftermath 

Self-awareness as a leader is easier said than done since we all have blind spots.  One way to improve the quality of our working relationships is to get our micro-interactions right.  When I came across Sarah Langslow’s book ‘Do Sweat the Small Stuff’ I immediately recognised it as an invaluable guide to any leader looking to lead in a positive and people-focused way so I’m excited to share this conversation with you.    In our conversation we discuss…  What is the ‘small stuff’ and why should leaders sweat it?  What are micro-interactions and why do they mater so much?  How important it is for leaders to recognise that their job is their people  Becoming more conscious of the impact of both the content and delivery of our words  

Workplaces and meetings are not set up to get the best out of introverts so it’s no wonder that many people who identify as introverts can experience self doubt at work even in leadership roles.    Sarah Manley built a highly successful career in marketing as a deep introvert but was growing tired of being ‘always on’ and visible and increasingly felt like she was in the wrong place.  It ate at her confidence.  Then she discovered ‘Quiet’; by Susan Cain and she understood herself and her strengths fully for the first time.  Sarah approached work with a new mindset and embraced being an introvert at work.  In her book ‘The Quiet Catalyst’ Sarah shares her insights, tools and strategies to thriving as an introvert at work.    In our conversation we discuss…  How to network successfully as an introvert  How to navigate working with an extraverted manager  How to gather feedback that works for you as an introvert and how to make it useful 

In today's episode, we reflect back on 2024 and get you thinking about what you want from 2025. This is a great way to bring 2024 to a close and be intentional about 2025 so grab your favourite notebook, a cosy blanket, and a warm drink, and dive into this reflective episode to set the tone for a brilliant 2025.  My name’s Carla Miller, leadership coach, author and trainer. And this is the Influence & Impact podcast for women leaders, helping you confidently navigate the ups and downs of leadership and feel less alone on your journey as a leader.  In fortnightly episodes I share practical tools and insights from myself and my brilliant guests that will help you succeed in your career.    Sponsor my 50th birthday Great North Run to find a cure for diabetes    FREE RESOURCE - How To Say No Challenge:  If you struggle to say ‘no’ then this free 5 day challenge is for you.  You’ll receive a short email each day containing a short video taking you through the 5 steps of my How To Say No framework. We’ll get you happily saying no in just 5 days!    Influence & Impact:  Join the May cohort of Influence & Impact to learn how to tackle self-doubt, increase your impact and become brilliant at influencing.  It’s a small cohort working closely with me and includes 6 workshops and 2 peer coaching sessions.   

Some of my most popular episodes have been on overthinking and worry and I know from personal experience how much it can hold you back and impact your self-esteem.   So I jumped at the chance to interview Nicole Freeman, who coaches many senior professionals around overthinking.    In this episode you’ll hear more about…  How overthinking is linked to avoiding our feelings  The 3 key fears that come up for many of us  The signs that you may be overthinking  Practical steps you can take to deal with overthinking and build more positive thought patterns    My name’s Carla Miller, leadership coach, author and trainer. And this is the Influence & Impact podcast for women leaders, helping you confidently navigate the ups and downs of leadership and feel less alone on your journey as a leader.  In fortnightly episodes I share practical tools and insights from myself and my brilliant guests that will help you succeed in your career.    You might also enjoy episode 110 ‘How to stop overthinking’ and episodes 122 and 123 on worrying.    FREE RESOURCE - How To Say No Challenge:  If you struggle to say ‘no’ then this free 5 day challenge is for you.  You’ll receive a short email each day containing a short video taking you through the 5 steps of my How To Say No framework. We’ll get you happily saying no in just 5 days!   

This episode was prompted by a request from one of the members of my Women Leading community who asked how she could build more personal resilience around the impact of decisions she was making at work and be a little more “Teflon coated”.    Perhaps you relate – you need to make tough decisions as a leader but you take things to heart, you care about people and their wellbeing and sometimes the decisions you make can have significant impact on others.      Or perhaps you are the person who is implementing the decisions that others have made and cascading unwelcome news or making unpopular changes.  You may be involved in a restructure for example or taking a team member through performance management.    Now, I didn’t want to call this ‘how to care less as a leader’ because I don’t think that those of us who care a lot would embrace the idea of caring less.  Caring, having empathy, being conscious of the impact of our decisions on people - these are all wonderful traits for a leader to have and may well be a huge strength of yours as a leader.    However, if caring has no boundaries around it then you could be heading towards sleepless nights, self-doubt and possibly even burnout.  In this episode I’m going to explore 3 insights and 3 tools and techniques to help you if you are someone who cares too much as a leader.    My name’s Carla Miller, leadership coach, author and trainer. And this is the Influence & Impact podcast for women leaders, helping you confidently navigate the ups and downs of leadership and feel less alone on your journey as a leader.  In fortnightly episodes I share practical tools and insights from myself and my brilliant guests that will help you succeed in your career.    FREE RESOURCE - How To Say No Challenge:  If you struggle to say ‘no’ then this free 5 day challenge is for you.  You’ll receive a short email each day containing a short video taking you through the 5 steps of my How To Say No framework. We’ll get you happily saying no in just 5 days!    Influence & Impact:  Join the May cohort of Influence & Impact to learn how to tackle self-doubt, increase your impact and become brilliant at influencing.  It’s a small cohort working closely with me and includes 6 workshops and 2 peer coaching sessions.    Be Bolder  My Be Bolder 4 week confidence and assertiveness course will be running again in February.  In it we cover:  ⭐ Tackling imposter feelings and self-doubt  ⭐ Mastering your mindset 

I’ve got another episode where I am a guest for you, this time I’m talking about how to get your voice heard at work with Aoife O’Brien on her Happier at Work podcast.    One of the key issues we discussed was the challenge of being interrupted in meetings, particularly for women. I provide strategies for managing interruptions and finding opportunities to speak up, including utilising allies and the powerful strategy of amplification.    In this episode you’ll hear more about…  The impact of gender bias on confidence.  Strategies for managing interruptions and finding opportunities to speak up.  The importance of integrating body language tools and my "Cloak of Authority" to feel more in control in challenging situations.  The significance of delivering feedback upwards in a diplomatic and solution-focused manner.  The importance of body language and ending contributions with confidence.    My name’s Carla Miller, leadership coach, author and trainer. And this is the Influence & Impact podcast for women leaders, helping you confidently navigate the ups and downs of leadership and feel less alone on your journey as a leader.  In fortnightly episodes I share practical tools and insights from myself and my brilliant guests that will help you succeed in your career.  p...

We all know we should be coaching our teams but it’s hard to know how to do that without going on a coaching for managers course.  Until now!    In this week’s episode I interview Jude Sclater about her book ‘Think Like a Coach’ which is a wonderfully practical step by step guide that any manager can use to become a coach-like manager.  Jude simplifies coaching for us, defining it as giving someone your attention while they think out loud and emphasizes the importance of listening and asking questions    We discuss…  - Jude’s 3 principles to help you become more coach-like with your team  - When to coach your team and when not to!  - Jude’s ‘Two Step’ approach to get you coaching straight away  - The number one step you can take to create psychological safety in your team  - How to coach in 5 minutes or less  - How to support a team member experiencing strong emotions   My name’s Carla Miller, leadership coach, author and trainer. And this is the Influence & Impact podcast for women leaders, helping you confidently navigate the ups and downs of leadership and feel less alone on your journey as a leader.  In fortnightly episodes I share practical tools and insights from myself and my brilliant guests that will help you succeed in your career.    FREE RESOURCE - How To Say No Challenge:  If you struggle to say ‘no’ then this free 5 day challenge is for you.  You’ll receive a short email each day containing a short video taking you through the 5 steps of my How To Say No framework. We’ll get you happily saying no in just 5 days!    Influence & Impact:  Join the next cohort of Influence & Impact to learn how to tackle self-doubt, increase your impact and become brilliant at influencing.  It’s a small cohort working closely with me and includes 6 workshops and 2 peer coaching sessions.    Be Bolder  My Be Bolder 4 week confidence and assertiveness course will be running again in February.  In it we cover:  ⭐ Tackling imposter feelings and self-doubt  ⭐ Mastering your mindset  ⭐ Courageous conversations  ⭐ Speaking up     Women Leading:  My Women Leading community gives you the support and strategies you need to: 

This week’s episode is a little different in that I am the guest and you get to hear me being interviewed for once!  In this episode I recorded for Lucy Gernon’s 360 LeadHERship podcast you’ll hear…    The story of my career and how and why I became a coach  My top tips on making the right first impression on a new line manager or senior stakeholder  How to hold your own and build your influence with the key stakeholders in your organisation  Some of my top tips for being confident around senior people    My name’s Carla Miller, leadership coach, author and trainer. And this is the Influence & Impact podcast for women leaders, helping you confidently navigate the ups and downs of leadership and feel less alone on your journey as a leader.  In fortnightly episodes I share practical tools and insights from myself and my brilliant guests that will help you succeed in your career.    FREE RESOURCE - How To Say No Challenge:  If you struggle to say ‘no’ then this free 5 day challenge is for you.  You’ll receive a short email each day containing a short video taking you through the 5 steps of my How To Say No framework. We’ll get you happily saying no in just 5 days!    Influence & Impact:  Join the next cohort of Influence & Impact to learn how to...

Whilst some women sail through perimenopause, lots of us struggle with symptoms including brain fog, sleep issues, hot flushes and anxiety.  Those symptoms can impede our ability to work, impact our confidence and cause an alarming number of women to leave their jobs.    I explore this with my guest Emma Thomas, founder of Managing the Menopause and host of the Middling Along podcast.    We discuss:  Why employers should care about supporting women through this transition   What managers can do to be supportive of colleagues struggling with perimenopause symptoms   How to talk to your line manager about your symptoms and what support you can request  Emma’s SENSE model for managing symptoms through lifestyle changes  Insights on how caffeine and alcohol impact your sleep    Emma is also teaching her SENSE model inside my Women Leading community at our bi-monthly menopause gatherings where we meet to share experiences and coping strategies.    My name’s Carla Miller, leadership coach, author and trainer. And this is the Influence & Impact podcast for women leaders,...