Claim OwnershipThe extra-Ordinary Leader with Dolly Waddell
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The extra-Ordinary Leader is a show that takes a collaborative approach to uncover what it means to be a leader in the 21st century.
Through a series of open and honest conversations with a selection of top business leaders and leadership coaches, Dolly Waddell takes us on a journey to unravel the complex world of leadership in the 21st century.
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In this episode of The extra-Ordinary Leader, I sit down with my friend and inspirational business leader, Emma Wood — founder of Emma Wood Interiors and the soon-to-launch Emma Wood Home. Emma has taken her creative background in fashion and turned it into a thriving interiors business with a growing team, major commercial projects, and now a new product line. What strikes me about Emma’s leadership is her ability to balance vision and execution: she’s as sharp with processes, detail, and t...
Welcome to Dolly in My Pocket, tactic five. This time, I’m tackling something that either makes or breaks teams, culture, and performance: feedback. Let’s be honest — most of us aren’t doing it well. We either lobb it in with no care for the landing, loiter around it hoping people “get the hint”, or avoid it altogether because it’s awkward and uncomfortable. But here’s the truth: effective feedback is non-negotiable if you want to grow your team, your business, or yourself. In this episode, I...
If you want a boost of inspiration for your leadership and management, this episode is for you. I sit down with the incredible Tasneem Bhamji — strategist, transformation leader, and founder of Office Real Talk — to unpack what it really takes to lead with impact in high-pressure environments. Tasneem’s journey from journalism graduate to senior leader in banking and digital strategy has been marked by resilience, determination, and a refusal to let labels define her. Together we explore: nav...
Welcome back to Dolly in My Pocket — the solo series from The extra-Ordinary Leader podcast, designed to offer short, powerful reflections you can take straight into your leadership and life. In this episode, I’m talking about something I call the art of knowing yourself — but not in the “I like coffee and I’m a bit impatient” kind of way. I’m talking about truly understanding your personality, your wiring, your drivers, and how they influence your leadership, energy, decision-making, and abi...
In this episode of The extra-Ordinary Leader, I sit down with Laura G. Patac, Strengths Coach, creator of Strengths Velocity Lab™, and author of Stories with Purpose. With over 20 years as a corporate executive across five continents, Laura brings a wealth of wisdom on what it really takes to thrive as a leader. We explore the difference between success and impact, why presence and influence matter as much as results, and how leaders can use storytelling to unlock connection, energy, and purp...
Welcome to another Dolly in My Pocket — the short solo series within The extra-Ordinary Leader podcast, designed to offer pithy, practical leadership insights to carry into your week. This episode is about quitting — but not in the way you think. I'm not talking about giving up alcohol or bad habits. I’m talking about something far more radical: quitting the automatic “yeses” and inherited “nos” that shape how we spend our time, attention, and energy. I unpack a powerful idea: every time you ...
Welcome back to Dolly in My Pocket — a short solo series from The extra-Ordinary Leader podcast, created to give you practical, mindset-shifting reflections that fit into even the busiest week. In this episode, I talk about something I call changing the rules — and no, not the legal ones. I’m talking about the unconscious, unspoken rules we live by without even realising. Things like “I should always be nice”, “I can’t interrupt”, “This is just the way I am” — all the fixed ideas that silentl...
In this week’s episode of The extra-Ordinary Leader, I’m joined by my friend and powerhouse leader Becky Barsellotti—Managing Partner at GiANT London and the brilliant mind behind Alive, a seven-step process for creating a life by design, not by accident. Becky was one of the earliest catalysts in my own leadership journey. From the moment I met her, I knew she had that rare gift of unlocking people on the spot—and she did just that for me. In this conversation, we explore why leadership toda...
Welcome to the first ever episode of Dolly in My Pocket — a new solo series within The extra-Ordinary Leader podcast. Each short episode is designed to offer a moment of pause: a thought, a reflection, a challenge you can carry into your day. These are not fluffy motivational quotes — they’re grounded insights that have shaped the way I lead, live, and support others to do the same. If you’re new to the podcast, The extra-Ordinary Leader is a space where I explore what it really takes to show...
Kicking off Series 4, I’m joined by the brilliant Chris Hirst – former Global CEO, speaker, and author of the bestselling No Bullsh*t series, including his latest release, Indispensable. This is a practical, powerful conversation about real leadership – not just the talking and thinking, but the doing. We explore what it means to take your space and authority as a leader, how to build indivisibly tight teams, and why culture is not a soft word – it’s your strategy. Chris shares openly about t...
Welcome to Series 4 of The extra-Ordinary Leader. In this launch episode, I take a moment to define what I mean by “extra-Ordinary leadership.” It’s not about being grandiose or exceptional in the traditional sense—it’s about adding extra to the ordinary parts of your leadership, life, and career. I open up about my own inflexion point—moving from a full-time stay-at-home mum and vicar’s wife to running my own consultancy, working with senior leaders and organisations across sectors. I share ...
As we wrap up Season 3 of The extra-Ordinary Leader, I wanted to pull together the most transformational threads from this series—ideas and insights that have helped me grow as a leader and that I believe can do the same for you. This episode explores how we can move from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset in leadership, the power of pausing, mastering stress, building self-awareness, and the paradox of holding authority and authenticity in tandem. You’ll hear highlights from brilliant guest...
This week I’m joined by Tanya Gallagher, MD and founder of Limitless Leadership, an award-winning leadership development consultancy. Tanya brings a wealth of wisdom to the space of leadership development, and what stood out to me most in our conversation is just how practical and human her definition of extra-Ordinary leadership is. We dig into the difference between good, bad, and terrible leadership, and what it really means to take ownership. It’s a conversation that will shift how you se...
You’re in for a treat. This week I’m joined by the incredible Oleg Konovalov — a globally respected business educator, leadership expert, and author of The Vision Code. Oleg doesn’t just talk about leadership; he embodies it through his work helping C-suite leaders across the world create meaningful, enduring impact. In this episode, we take apart the familiar terms — vision, value, strategy — and rebuild them with depth, clarity and fresh meaning. We explore how leadership is not about ego o...
This week, I’m joined by Kate Thrumble, SVP and Head of People and Experience at VaynerMedia – a creative agency where leadership is lived out daily in real, human ways. In this episode, Kate shares what it means to lead not with the weight of being the “log”, but as the kindling – the spark that ignites others. We talk candidly about feedback, connection, culture, performance and the sweet spot between kindness and accountability. Kate brings such clarity to what I often see muddied in corpo...
In this episode of The extra-Ordinary Leader, I had the enormous pleasure of speaking with Helen Brocklebank, CEO of Walpole—the official body for British luxury. Helen works closely with over 250 of the UK’s most iconic high-end brands, and in our conversation, she shares the leadership behaviours, values, and mindset that make these businesses so resilient and remarkable. We explored what we can all borrow from the luxury sector—whether we’re running heritage businesses or leading fast-pace...
In this episode of The extra-Ordinary Leader, I’m joined by the incredible Cathy O'Dowd – the first woman to climb Mount Everest from both the north and south sides. But this conversation isn’t just about physical mountains; it’s about the emotional and professional peaks we all face. Cathy’s story is one of grit, humility and mindset, and I couldn’t have been more inspired by the way she talks about doing extra-Ordinary things by simply taking the next right step. Whether it’s writing a book...
In this thought-provoking episode of The extra-Ordinary Leader, I sat down with Daniel Hulme, AI expert and CEO, to explore what leadership looks like in the age of artificial intelligence, data-driven decisions, and flatter, decentralised organisations. Together, we unravelled: Why extra-Ordinary leadership starts with getting out of the wayHow to use AI to surface team dynamics and friction pointsWhat digital twins are (and why your employees might love them)How to lead without hierarchyPra...
Welcome to a brand-new season! Bringing together coaches, consultants and some extra-Ordinary leaders (a gardener and a fisherman no less), season 3 will bring you extra tactics that you can add to your Ordinary.
Welcome to Season 2 of extra-Ordinary Leaders with Dolly Waddell. Experienced business consultant, speaker, and Founder of The People Performance Consultancy, Dolly Waddell is on a mission to revitalise leadership and help everyone lead with more connection. This episode explores whether a focus on the bottom line is the best approach for sustainable, extra-Ordinary leadership. Joined by Fabrice Desmarescaux, Partner at McKinsey & Company and author of the highly rated The Art of Re...
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