Leaders in Conversation with Anni Townend

About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Karen Wilkinson, inspiring and award winning Marketing Director. We delve together into: The power of connecting with your Values & PurposeHow knowing your Strengths and not sweating your weaknesses is the best way to Focus and FlyWhy Courage & Belief and Stepping out of your comfort zone is all part of being BraveAdventure Seeking - On seizing the day and going for it!Karen’s three key encouragements to leaders looking to Be Brave, Fly and Focus Unlock the power of maximising your strengths - Acknowledge what support you need to be at your best - people who compliment you, your support team. And be mindful of overusing your strengths! Feel the fear and do it anyway - The immense power in self belief, power of possible, managed risks, seeking growth opportunities, believing in others.  Accept not everything will go to plan...that's ok! Adapt, pivot, change if you need to…. That’s all part of a Marketing Leaders toolkit.Stay curious, embrace adventure.. And smile - The world, our teams, our customers (next gen!)technology is all changing. Stay curious, we’ll never ‘know it all’, seek adventure and find enjoyment in all you do . After all, we work, love, live to find fulfilment, growth and connect with our values .. whilst having fun along the way! About KarenKaren is a passionate marketing leader - with over 25 years of experience working in consumer products and financial services & banking. Most recently Marketing Director for AkzoNobel, parent of Dulux for 9 years. Adding colour to lives and creating beautiful living spaces. Currently with Evergreen Garden Care as Marketing Director UK&I, where she continues to connect with her passions for colour, growth and being outdoors. She graduated from Dublin City University with BA in international marketing and languages, and has worked, lived and studied in Ireland, Spain, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. Karen lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband and is a parent to two teens. Their 19yr old son is on a solo adventure in Japan, and 18yr old daughter is preparing for A levels. Together they teach Karen to have fun, be brave and practise what I preach (to them!).  She loves being outdoors and being active… running, cycling, hiking, swimming, skiing, walking! And never says no to a challenge with friends. She is always seeking new learning, travel and adventures.. Ice skating, painting, and has climbed 2000m mountains, cycled through the Alps and Dolomites, enjoys kayaking and cold water swimming.Connect with KarenLinkedIn: Karen Wilkinson To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com A big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production. To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Helen Stephenson, CEO of the Charity Commission for England and WalesWe delve together into: How as a leader the main tool in your leadership is yourself, which means you need to understand how you work - your strengths and weaknessesWhy getting the right team is crucial and making sure you recruit people who are different from you, and who have the right skills and personality to fit with the organisation and its needs.Why leadership is All about relationshipsAnd how there is no perfect leader, and the importance of knowing when good is good enough rather than aspiring to be everything all at once!Helen’s Three Key Encouragements to Leaders Know when you need to dive into the detail on an issue (you can’t/shouldn’t be across everything) and signal to your team that’s what you’re doingBeing a leader is seeking to be a better version of yourselfIt can be lonely, have some support networksTo connect, follow and find out more about Helen:LinkedIn: Helen StephensonWebsite: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commissionTo find out more about Future Engage Deliver, www.futureengagedeliver.comBuy the book by Steve Radcliffe ‘Leadership Plain and Simple’https://www.pearson.com/en-gb/subject-catalog/p/leadership-plain-and-simple/To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend do go to my website, www.annitownend.comA big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production.To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.  I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.About Helen StephensonI was first introduced to Helen Stephenson by Steve Radcliffe, who thought we would partner well together in some Executive Team Coaching for Helen’s team.  He was right! Helen and I have worked together with her leadership team over the past few years. We have introduced them to Future Engage Deliver, a leadership approach developed by Steve Radcliffe and wonderfully written about in his book Leadership Plain and Simple. And have gone on to share with my colleague Emily Court the Future Engage Deliver approach with the wider organisation of leaders, and their teams. It has been a privilege to work with Helen, and to be trusted by her to lead this programme - her commitment to developing people, and their leadership in particular has never wavered. On many occasions she has joined a development day, and been part of the welcoming and opening of the day sharing her leadeTo listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com A big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production. To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence, care and courage in your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational personal leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life - the people, places and experiences that have shaped them and made them the leader that they are today. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Julian Roberts, Executive Business Coach, Podcast Host of Helping Organisations ThriveWe delve together into: Why the need for resilience in leadership in today’s workplace is greater than ever.How to create a resilient mindset to lead your team and organisation.And how to create resilient teams that are better equipped to navigate challenges and thrive in an ever-changing environment.Julian’s Three Key Encouragements to Leaders Lead by example, through developing a resilient mindset and behaviours that inspire confidence in others, helping them to adapt to change; and as part of that foster a supportive work environment, one in which people are helped to navigate challenges and uncertainties effectively.  Create daily habits that build resilience as a leader all embedded within your purpose.Focus on the 3 P’s of Purpose, Psychological Safety and Processes - Reduce, Regulate and RepairContact Julian:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julesroberts/Website: https://www.julianrobertsconsulting.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julesroberts45/To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.comA big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production.To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.  I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.About Julian RobertsJulian Roberts, an Executive Business Coach with a background in commercial and sales, is passionate about people, resiliency, and business. He has held a number of senior strategic commercial positions for multinational corporations such as Heinz, Yoplait, and Johnson & Johnson, as well as for family-owned businesses.In 2017, he launched his coaching practice, working with individualTo listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com A big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production. To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with John Edwards, Director General, Regions Group, at the Department for Education, UK. John and I were invited to be in conversation by and for the annual Transform Applied Leadership Summit, held virtually this year on 8th March 2024. The title of our conversation Understanding Ourselves and Understanding Others - a leadership perspective is the title of the summit.(For listeners who don’t know about Transform Applied Leadership I share their details at the end of the podcast, along with ways in which you can connect with John.)John and I delve together into: How becoming a leader is all about finding your own leadership The alignment between who we are, how we lead and why we lead, and what it means to be an authentic leaderThe importance of being aware of individual and collective leadership behaviour and the impact that it has on others 360 degree leadership and measuring our leadership achievements through the successes of othersJohn’s three key encouragements for leaders looking to grow their leadership identity, build greater confidence and understanding in their leadership behaviours.We never need to create our leadership approach, or copy it from others - we just need to find it, observe it and look after itWe don’t need to worry about making time for DOING leadership, only for THINKING ABOUT leadership - it’s not an extra job, it’s how we do the job we haveListen to others but trust your instincts - there is no right answerHow to connect with John Edwards on LinkedInThe Transform Applied Leadership Summit happens annually and is designed to stimulate new ways of thinking and behaving in our leadership. Delegates come from education and reflect upon their own leadership, have conversations with other leaders, and to hear speakers from different backgrounds.To find out more about the Summit, and Leadership Applied the leadership study and research; the leadership experts and about the Future Engage Deliver approach to leadership developed by Steve Radcliffe do go to the website:https://www.transformapplied.co.uk/leadership-appliedContact Anni Townend  anni@annitownend.com www.annitownend.comAbout John EdwardsHaving started out as a secondary school maths teacher, I’ve had the privilege to work in schools, local government and now central government - but still, when asked what I do, the word ‘teacher’ is the first word that comes to mind.  11 years in three schools was followed by 14 years working in three different local authorities, responsible for the full range of education and skills functions in largely urban settings.  I now head up the Department for Education’s Regions Group, covering improvement, intervention and capacity-building for schools, children’s To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com A big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production. To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Tanya Shadrick - author of The Cure for Sleep: her memoir of a late waking life, a story of breaking free, and making a more creative life; Tanya is founder of the Selkie Press; editor of the Wainwright Prize-listed Wild Woman Swimming.  She is a community builder of writers and storytellers through Substack where she writes, and invites you to share your stories.We delve together into: What it takes - and costs - to build an authentic life of one’s own, while continuing to honour our roles within families, workplaces, and communities.And explore four key themes:The voices around us - and the beliefs that we form about ourselves and our abilities because of what is praised or punished.Our Size and Shape - and how related to beliefs about ourselves, and our abilities, we (perhaps) make ourselves smallerWork - and how writing about work is central to Tanya’s storytellingThe importance of service, of finding the best in ourselves, and each other, for the good of others, and to deliver use and meaning to othersThree key encouragementsLook how far you’ve come… We can forget how hard we once found things that are now a core part of our senior roles - public speaking, say, or preparing a visual presentation for stakeholders or investors. Write 500 words from the you of now to the twenty-something you once were, starting out. Be in dialogue. Remember the vivid details. It releases a kind of energy that helps us be better mentors and encouragers to our graduate staff and our career returners. A list of what you love…  spend an hour making a list of 100 things you love about your work life. It will seem impossible to get anywhere near that number. Your first few items might seem so simple, so insufficient - just a list of obvious things: the salary, the pension, the status, the holiday allowance. But as you persist, the process starts to yield surprising results - by the time you get to around sixty, or eighty, most people find themselves remembering their deepest values, their fiercest ambitions and so on.How do you talk about your job to those you don’t work with?  This is a very different exercise from crafting ‘an elevator pitch’ and its purpose is deeper, broader. Having a simple, authentic way to speak with quiet pride about what you do is one of the most useful ways to connect with other people - it extends to them the possibility of sharing what matters to them too: whether that’s their paid work, their passion, or an unpaid voluntary role.Contact Tanya via her website, for writing resources, and podcasts:www.thecureforsleep.comhttps://tanyashadrick.substack.com/To contact Anni Townend anni@annitownend.com www.annitownend.comAbout Tanya ShadrickI first heard of Tanya through a friend that I met somTo listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com A big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production. To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence and courage your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life - the people, places and experiences that have shaped them and made them the leader that they are today. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Moses Tai Founder and CEO African Development Choices (ADC), Author of ‘There Is Shade’ and Speaker.We delve together into the working culture of African Development Choices, in particular how they encourage community and reflect who they are in what they do: Seeking and giving input, raising awareness of choiceShowing and taking initiative as part of sustainable changeCommitment to the organisation and its purpose through building belief and hope, and working togetherMoses’ Three Key Encouragements to Leaders Develop a strong vision Recruit and retain talented people Build well structured teamsConnect with Moses Tai, and find out more about African Development Choiceswww.linkedin.com/in/mosestaihttps://mybook.to/TISHADEhttps://africandevelopmentchoices.org/To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.comA big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production.To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.  I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.About MosesMy mission with the podcast is to be in conversation with people who have a passion and purpose (no matter how small or large), and, who want to make a difference through their leadership, and to give them a way of sharing their story to inspire, confidence, care and courage in you the  listener - far and wide. So when Taryn Weeks of Sparks Marketing suggested that Moses would be a great guest I contacted him, and bought a copy of his book ‘There Is Shade’. Moses is an inspiring leader, a passionate voice for sustainable change. To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com A big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production. To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence, care and courage in your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational personal leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life - the people, places and experiences that have shaped them and made them the leader that they are today.They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Roger Mortlock, Chief Executive Officer, CPRE, the countryside charity. Together we delve into what it means to lead:A heritage organisation, being openIn a federated structure, being humbleA campaigning organisation, being braveROGER’S THREE ENCOURAGEMENTS TO LEADERSDo it your way - learn from the leaders who help you grow as a person as well as a leaderFind and honour that which gives you joy at work, what you love - give yourself space to flourish as well as face into the challengeKeep making the time and space to imagine the futureTo contact RogerLinkedIn: Roger MortlockWebsite:  www.cpre.org.ukAbout Roger MortlockI first met Roger some twenty years ago and have had the privilege of partnering with him, and the teams he has led and been part of over the years.  To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.comA big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production.To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.  I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com A big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production. To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence and courage your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life - the people, places and experiences that have shaped them and made them the leader that they are today. Together we delve into what they really care about, their values and beliefs, their passion and purpose and how they live and weave these through their leadership every day, in all that they do. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Febronia Ruocco, Strategic Insights Professional, Executive Coach and MentorWe delve and explore together leadership values and skills, and the importance of these in Febronia’s life, leadership, insights and mentoring work. In particular the values of:IntegrityCollaborationHonestyEmpathyFebronia’s three encouragement to leaders:Bear in mind that people have gone through very difficult times: the pandemic, the economic crisis. Be kind with your feedback, with your encouragement, with your guidance, be supportive, have empathy for your teams, and try to instil in them a sense of safety so that they can come and they can share their views and perceptions freely. And also, if you have time, please do some mentoring. There are lots of young people out there at universities and schools, at the beginning of their jobs, who really could do with a guiding hand.How to contact FebroniaLinkedIn: Febronia RuoccoAbout FebroniaI first met Febronia through LinkedIn - she not only liked my podcast, but also commented, and messaged me personally. Febronia has her own podcast weekly roundup of the best listens, and it is a huge honour to have been chosen by her more than once! She is a Strategic Insights Professional and Executive Coach. And she is also a Leadership and Career Mentor for Undergraduates at Durham and Lancaster University. After several exchanges via LinkedIn we arranged a call and discovered that we shared similar passions, and had some shared experiences. I am delighted that she agreed to be my guest, and to share her leadership story.To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website: www.annitownend.com/podcastA big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production.To contact me Anni Townend do email me on To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com A big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production. To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow your confidence and courage as a leader.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already, please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Meera Craston, a highly experienced senior leader and executive coach; and co-founder of Next Brave Move. Meera is committed to supporting individuals, teams and organisations to thrive, demonstrate their impact and bring about positive change.Together we delve into:How understanding and embracing your heritage can enable you to more fully connect with your passion and purpose; How tuning into your strengths and into what comes naturally to you can open up new possibilities for exploring your leadership;The beauty of the ‘reset’, and how discovering and using your ‘reset function’ can help you in re-evaluating and ‘course correcting’ your leadership as you go along.The importance of having a support network who act as ‘thinking partners’ to help you stay ‘on course’. Meera’s three key encouragements for leaders:1.  At times when you feel stuck, there’s something very valuable about taking stock and weighing up whether you are holding onto an old narrative that was once very valuable but over time has become less relevant and is no longer serving you well 2.  Be true to yourself and recognise that careers do not need to be linear and that it’s never too late to change direction and build new dreams3.  Creating space and being brave and exploratory can often lead to the most amazing opportunities.A huge thanks to Meera for sharing so much of herself, her  thoughts, insights and experiences.To find out more about Meera and Next Brave Move, find, follow and contact her at: LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/meeracraston/WEBSITEwww.nextbravemove.com EMAILmeera@nextbravemove.com To contact me Anni Townend, do email me on anni@annitownend.comABOUT MEERAMeera is a deeply purpose-driven senior leader and executive coach, and co-founder of Next Brave Move. She is committed to supporting individuals, teams and organisations to thrive, demonstrate their impact and bring about positive change. Having worked as an evaluation, impact and policy design specialist for two decades, she is a strong advocate of evidence-based (and pragmatic) decision making, who understands the challenges of leadership, consultancy and making sense of complexity.Her recent experience incTo listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com A big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production. To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence, care and courage in your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their personal inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Martin Glover, HR Director for Morton Fraser - Martin is an advocate for fairness, equity and leadership development…..Together we delve into:What he really cares about, his values and beliefs, his passion and purpose - who, what and where have shaped him -  and how he lives these through his leadership : Why as leaders of organisations we should be prioritising Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging;Why targets in Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging aren't helping us get to where we need to be in organisationsAnd ask - Does improving diversity mean that inclusion and belonging will follow?Martin’s three key encouragements for people looking to develop their leadership, and to lead intentionally and deliberately for diversity, inclusion and belonging.Think about the experience you are trying to create in your organisation - what do you want people to think and feel about your business Hire for the why (the Vision) this ensures people are aligned to what your organisation is trying to achieve Develop your own curiosity for difference in people and think about the value broadened outlooks like this can add to what you are trying to achieveTo find out about more about Martin, about the firm, find and follow him on: www.morton-fraser.comLinkedIn: Martin GloverTo listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, anni@annitownend.comA big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production.To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.  I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.About MartinI first met Martin when he worked for a different organisation, and was thrilled when he contacted me at his next company to talk about leadership, and then when he moved to Morton-Fraser I moved with him! I think of myself very much as a Leadership Partner, and Martin is a true partner, a fantastic builder of relationships, he is pasTo listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com A big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production. To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence, care and courage your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. Together we delve into what they really care about, their values and beliefs, their passion and purpose and how they live and weave these through their leadership every day, in all that they do. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Justin Russell, Former Chief Inspector of Probation, a role that he finished in the Autumn of 2023 on the challenges and satisfactions of leading in the public sector.Together we delve into:His experience of Senior leadership in the Civil Service – the challenges and satisfactions of sharing the vision setting space with politicians and other parts of governmentOperational versus Policy leadership in the Public Sector - why most top civil service jobs go to policy specialists and why intellectual leadership is prioritised over emotional leadership in Whitehall.Justin’s personal career challenge - as someone who loves policy detail and evidence - of getting the balance right between being ‘Hands off and hands on’, of being on the balcony versus being on the dance floor. The challenge of engaging colleagues in an era of hybrid working – and how does remote working make leadership more or less easy / more or less satisfying? Justin’s three key encouragements for leaders, whatever the sector they are working and leading in:Pay attention to your impact! Don’t underestimate the shadow you cast  - or the difference it can make…………Say yes when people ask for help with career advice or mentoring – and don’t be afraid to ask the people you admire for their help too. What goes around always comes around.Always keep yourself anchored by asking yourself first what is the right - fair and just -  thing to do when faced with a leadership or policy challenge – but don’t beat yourself up too much if that can’t be fully delivered. Leaders have to be pragmatists as well as idealists.About JustinJustin is the former Chief Inspector of Probation, a role that he finished in the Autumn of 2023. I had the privilege of partnering with him and his leadership team over a short period of time during 2023. Together we introduced the Future-Engage-Deliver approach to leadership, created by Steve Radcliffe to help the team get clear on their shared future, build bigger relationships with each other, and to deliver more now and later through others. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation’s mission is to deliver ‘High quality probation and youth justice services that change people’s lives for the better’, their focus is on how the probation does things and on how probation makes a real life diffeTo listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com A big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production. To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence and courage in your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life - the people, places and experiences that have shaped them and made them the leader that they are today.Together we delve into what they really care about, their values and beliefs, their passion and purpose and how they live and weave these through their leadership every day, in all that they do.They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Jane Mather, Make-up Artist and Personal StylistWe delve together into: 1How truly understanding our ‘uniqueness’, and our ‘values’, can help us shape our personal style and achieve our goals2How translating our ‘values’ and defining our non-verbal communication skills helps us hone our personal style for success3 The importance of showing compassion to and being empowering of others.Three Key Encouragements1. The first step in honing your personal style is to identify your ‘core values’ - really knowing what’s important to you.The second step is understanding your impact and personal presence - addressing any concerns about your personal style to help you achieve your goals.  The third step is taking a ‘leap of faith’ in and for yourself and in others!  You never know what opportunity might present itself or what you might discover!Learn more about Jane through her website:  www.janemather.co.uk, where you can also subscribe to her newsletter.Or follow Jane on Instagram: @janemather_makeupstyleTo listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.comA big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production.To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com A big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production. To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence, care and courage in your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational personal leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. Together we delve into what they really care about, their values and beliefs, their passion and purpose and how they live and weave these through their leadership every day, in all that they do. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already - please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Beto Funari. Together we delve into: Acting as a humanist leader: Why human leadership matters to people feeling valued, enabled and motivated to contribute and create a better future, to learn and develop their potential; and how to do this through leading with empathy, actively listening, fostering diversity and inclusion Balancing Profit and Purpose: How balancing purpose and profit is at the heart of building a compassionate and prosperous business whilst financial success is essential it should not come at the expense of human well-being or ethical principles. Adopting a Customer-Centric Approach: How adopting a Customer-Centric Approach helps in understanding and meeting customer’s needs, through building trust and loyalty and through delivering high-quality products or services. Three Key EncouragementsWhat are your three key encouragements for leaders looking to build hope and optimism?Cultivate Empathy and Deep Listening in your own leadership, be a role model to others and encourage them to cultivate empathy and deep listening, and open communication;Prioritise People through continuous learning and development;Balance Profit, Purpose, People and (Ethical) Principles, commercial success is essential however never at the expense of People and ethical Principles, have a Purpose that is bigger than Profit and includes People this will ensure sustainable successTo contact Beto, do so through LinkedIn, Roberto Funari.To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.comTo contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.  I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com A big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production. To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

Welcome to Anni in Conversation. In this episode I delve into my thoughts and insights into the importance of leaders asking for feedback on their impact felt, and how to create a safe environment in which to have these conversations. Many years ago, my friend and colleague Steve Radcliffe suggested to me that the two most important questions a leader can ask are...-  how good am I at creating a safe environment for people? - And what is your experience of me? Creating a safe environment in which people can be open and honest through practising curiosity, care and courage in their leadership is at the heart of the Collaboration Equation™, a unique framework co created by myself and Lucy kid that encourages and guides leaders in creating cultures of care and connection, in which inclusive dialogue and diversity of thought and feeling are welcomed. Finding out what people's experience of us is essential to developing greater self awareness. We remember how we feel around people. In any one situation, how people feel around us will vary. So gathering this invaluable data on how different people feel, can help us to ensure that our behaviour is aligned with how we would like people to feel around us. My own aspiration is to have people feel seen, heard and understood. It's an aspiration. The only way I can find out whether that's how people experience me is to share with them that that's my aspiration, and to ask them: -  How you feel around me? -  When do you feel that way? So do invite a conversation with people you know, and you would like to build a relationship with and from whom you can get this invaluable impact felt feedback.Thank you for listening.To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com A big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production. To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence and courage your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational personal leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. Together we delve into what they really care about, their values and beliefs, their passion and purpose and how they live and weave these through their leadership every day, in all that they do. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Steen Broust Nielsen Senior Vice President Sales at Wood Mackenzie Power & RenewablesWe delve together into: 1 Trust – as a foundation for cohesive and high performing teams2 (Com)passion – caring is at the core of authentic leadership3 Meaning – fuels us all and gives us purpose4 Humility and resilience – knowing it is never about you - and that’s okThree key encouragements What are your three encouragements that you would give to leaders?1. Be real – leaders are people too2. Be bold – if it matters to you it matters to others3. Be consistent – trust is earned with our teams as well as with our peersTo find out more about Steen and to get in touch with him do connect with him on LinkedIn, where he posts regularly .To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.comA big thank you to my support team at The Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production.To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.  I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com A big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production. To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence and courage in your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. Together we delve into what they really care about, their values and beliefs, their passion and purpose and how they live and weave these through their leadership every day, in all that they do. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Cassandra Ogier.Together we delve into: 1. The power of presence2. Embodied leadership3. Deep listening/communicating from self-regulation4. Trusting the unfolding of lifeCassy’s Three key encouragements, guiding principles for leaders to help them come home to their true nature….1. Be guided by your passion. What you love.2. Trust in yourself as a part of the whole experience of life.3. Life is happening for you, not to youTo find out more about Cassy and to get in touch with her do follow her on Instagram @thereflectivehorse and go to her website, www.thereflectivehorse.comA big thank you to my support team at The Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production.To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.  I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.About Cassandra OgierCassandra is the Founder & Director of The Reflective Horse®, providing embodied leadership experiences through partnering with horses. She is the pioneer of equine-guided programming with free-roaming horses. She created The Reflective Horse® in 2011 in the US, and has expanded her practice through The Reflective Horse® Mastery Program, teaching Practitioners, and widening the potential for free beings - horses and humans - coming together to experience a shift in perspective through somatic practices and Insight-Based mentorship. She is passionate about creating and collaborating on inspiring programming to support clients in reconnecting with their innate wisdom, and liberation from the conditioned mind. Originally from East Sussex, Cassandra moved to California with her family in 2007 where she actualized her dharma. She is the Mother of three incredible sons, of whom she is most proud and honoured to be sharing this life. She currently teaches in North and Central America and in Europe. To learn more about Cassandra visit her website,To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com A big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production. To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

Welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence and courage your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Ellie Norman, Chief Communications Officer, Manchester United Football Club. Together we delve into: How to manage your energies to be at your best, and to help others be their best through having people feel seen and validated;How connecting with people and building relationships is key to business success, whatever the business you are in;Why building a culture of belonging is so important, and what you can do to build one through hope and possibility.Ellie’s Three Guiding Principles to have people feel seen and validated1) Bring the light. So be able to bring the light and to shine that light on every individual you meet.  Think about ‘How do you leave every person feeling good about themselves? ‘2) Challenge the status quo. So to ask ‘what if?’. 3) Recognise just how fortunate we are, so find that zest that fun and that energy, and to be able to bring that.About Ellie NormanI first met Ellie on the Marketing Leaders Programme, when she came to speak to the group of marketing leaders.  I was inspired by her passion and commitment to people, by her energy and enthusiasm to connect with people, and to put them at ease helping them to be their very best through learning. I love her passion for having everyone feel validated no matter where they are, or who they are or where they have come from.Recognised as customer-obsessed and target-driven, with demonstrable critical thinking skills and an ability to disrupt the status quo to achieve category beating growth. A broad, curious, perceptive thinker who combines creative and problem-solving skills to find new opportunities. Inspires teams to work with excellence, curiosity, and a ‘can do’ attitude to deliver the business growth. Leads by example, able to embrace change and find a path through ambiguity, maintaining a sense of calm confidence, optimism, whilst balancing focus on long-term strategy.To find out more about Ellie and to get in touch with her do follow her on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly.To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.comA big thank you to my support team to the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production.To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitowTo listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com A big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production. To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

Welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni in Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence and courage your leadership. In today's episode, I share my thoughts on Being, Seen, Heard and Understood. I delve into: My own aspiration to ensure others feel seen, heard and understoodValues and beliefs within leadershipUnderstanding felt experiences from others of your own leadershipMy Three Key Encouragements to ensure your team feel Seen, Heard and Understood: 1. Meet people where they are at2. Listen to learn and understand3. Be curious and ask questions, especially when you have a different point of viewTo contact me, Anni Townend, do email me on anni@annitownend.com or visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my bi-monthly newsletter or follow me on LinkedIn to discover more leadership insights. I look forward to connecting with you. Thank you for listening.To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com A big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production. To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

Welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence and courage your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. Together we delve into what they really care about, their values and beliefs, their passion and purpose and how they live and weave these through their leadership every day, in all that they do. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!About This EpisodeIn this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Rachel Eyre, Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Morrisons. We delve together into: - How influencing starts with self-awareness, you are your own data bank - use it;- How leading with pride, courage, and conviction and not being a ‘paranoid overachiever’ matter in leadership;- The importance of building your career around your strengths, whilst plugging the gaps;- The importance of being nice, and remembering we are all human beings.Rachel’s Three Key Encouragements to Leaders and Marketing Leaders:Feel the fear and do it anywayBelieve in yourself, back yourself,  use your own data - you are your own data bank, draw on it, and replenish itBe a decent person, how you make people feel mattersAbout Rachel EyreI first met Rachel on the Marketing Leaders Programme and immediately warmed to her, was inspired and committed to her success. I have followed her leadership journey ever since and was thrilled in March 2023 to see Rachel listed as one of the top ten most powerful women in the supermarket industry! Her being included in and on this list was not a surprise, and look forward to seeing where her leadership takes her!To find out more about Rachel and to get in touch with her do follow her on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly.To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.  I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com A big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production. To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

Welcome and welcome back to Leaders in Conversation with me, Anni Townend, the podcast that helps you to grow confidence and courage your leadership.I created this series of candid conversations for leaders to share their inspirational leadership stories, weaving together the threads of their life. Together we delve into what they really care about, their values and beliefs, their passion and purpose and how they live and weave these through their leadership every day, in all that they do. They offer valuable insights and rich experience to help and inspire you on your own unique leadership journey. If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it. Thank you!Together Sophie and I delve into: 1) Pacesetting and the principles for positivity, and how velocity can speed up success.2) How leadership is an iterative process - and how to be the editor of your leadership, constantly creating, testing and revising.3) Why marketing matters - now - more than everSophie’s Three Key Encouragements: 1) Manage your pace 2) Only Connect3) Act with AudacityAbout SophieIn addition to being the Global Chief Executive of The Marketing Society since 2020, Sophie is the author of ‘Superfast: Lead at Speed’  shortlisted for Business Book of The Year and co-author with Ben Renshaw of LoveWork: The Seven Steps to Thrive at Work. This is a book about growing your relationship with your work, and how to have a more positive relationship with it. Sophie is an acclaimed keynote speaker and a successful entrepreneur. You can read Superfast in hardback, paperback and audio through this link -  https://tinyurl.com/ya5xeq9bYou can order LoveWork: The Seven Steps to Thrive at Work which explores how to discover or recover a better relationship with work through this link - https://amzn.to/3qOQpjxTo find out more about Sophie  and to get in touch, follow her on LinkedIn or visit The Marketing Society website www.marketingsociety.com to find out more about this wonderful community of marketers that Sophie’s leads together with her amazing team.A big thank you to my support team at The Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production.To contact me Anni Townend, do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.  I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listeningTo listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com A big thank you to my support team at the Conscious Marketing Group for helping me with all the marketing of the podcast, to Coco O’Brien for the wonderful intro and outro music, for the lovely design, and for the excellent editing and sound production. To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.