Carla Miller 00:00
Welcome to the influence and impact podcast for female leaders.

My name is Carla Miller, and I'm a leadership coach who helps female leaders to tackle self doubt, become brilliant at influencing and make more impact at work. I've created this podcast to help you to become a more inspiring and impactful leader.

We'll be talking about all the different topics that affect you, as a woman leading today. Think of it as personal development meets professional development. And I want to become the leadership BFF. You didn't know you were missing until now.

Hello, welcome to the influence and impact podcast. I am back from my holiday, I had a really lovely relaxing week or so on the Norfolk coast, we went to Wells next the sea, where my son and I Charlie went last year, we did three days glamping, just the two of us. And I learned that three days alone glamping with a then three year old is more than enough, but I loved the area. So I headed back this year with not only Charlie, but I talked to my sister and her family and my parents into coming as well. We booked this a year ago before that we before we knew that we were all going to be living in the same village. So before I had any idea I was going to move up north, that was a very spontaneous decision. And as I agreed to move up north, I only did it if my parents wanted to move to so that we could all be together. And because Charlie is very, very close to my parents fact, he thinks he has three parents, which is awesome. Anyway, we had a really lovely relaxing break. And then we went to stay with my parents. And that was great because I got to catch up with my friends from where I used to live. And Charlie got to catch up with his little mates as well. Other than that, so I've been back for a few days now. And this is meant to be a reading week for me. So this is my practice slow down summer ahead of Charlie starting school in September, because I'm going to be taking more time off basically once he starts school. So whilst I will probably be working more like five days a week, I am going to be working primarily term time only. And so this is sort of my adjustment summer before the shock of being responsible for a future five year old for six weeks next summer kicks in and needed to do podcast today. And I'm not really in a teaching mind frame, I am still in that slowdown mode and enjoying that I've been puttering around in my garden. And I've been doing reading but actually because it's so nice outside. And because I have the urge to move. I have made it more of a listening to podcasts week. And that has inspired today's episode.

So this episode isn't about any wisdom for me, there are no guests. Instead, what I wanted to do is to share some of my favourite podcasts with you because if you listen to this than you are a podcast listener, and probably like me, you've been when you get a chance getting out in this nice weather for a little bit of a walk or sit under a shady tree to get inspiration. I love listening to podcasts. And whilst I do listen to leadership podcasts, that's not what I'm focusing on in this episode, mainly because my head is also not in a leadership space. Right now. My head is in a life space. And so what I wanted to do was to share with you some of my favourite podcasts that are broader than leadership, they're more about life, perhaps a little bit about work and share some of my favourite episodes that I would really recommend you listen to and some of the takeaways that I've got from them.

So I'm going to talk you through five episodes from other podcasts that I've really enjoyed and signpost you to them, and then also mentioned some of the other podcasts that I really enjoy listening to. Now obviously we might all have completely different interests. I know lots of people love true crime podcasts. As a woman living on her own with a little person that would totally freak me out. I only watch nice light stuff on TV. I can't watch like the dark Swedish and Norwegian and Finnish dramas. So there's no true crime here. It is unsurprisingly for a coach often about personal development in some form. So I'm going to share those with you in a minute. Before we get started on that, in terms of what's been happening in the world of my business, there is something really exciting happening very soon. So, and I'm not even talking about the book. So the book is coming out on the 19th of September for the ebook version, if your Kindle and the 20th of September for your actual in real life version, it is at the printers at the moment. And next week, I get my copies. And I've got, I think 400 copies coming my way, because there's lots of people, lots of clients that I have promised them to. And I cannot wait to see it in real life. And I can't wait to start seeing it in bookshops as well and see your photos of you reading it and see it out there in the wild. So that is very exciting. And that is happening. Well, I also have something really exciting that I'm going to announce next week. So even if you're off on holiday next week, then do be sure to catch up on that podcast within a couple of weeks. Because there is a brilliant and completely free opportunity coming your way. Next week that I can't wait to tell you about I just need to do a little bit more work on first and give it a name before I am ready to share it with you all. So stay tuned for that next week. The other exciting news is just a little bit of excitement I got in my email today, I offer my be bolder course, which is my confidence and assertiveness course, in house as well different tailored versions depending on the organisation, I just finished up one with a department at the University of Greenwich, where I did three sessions with some of their women in leadership roles. And that was brilliant, really fantastic to work with them. And I am offering it with King's College London to their staff. And we're making it available to men as well. We're doing a six week version and adding in a bit on managing stakeholders as well. And it is a cohort of 40 spaces. And when we agreed 40 I was a bit nervous that it might take a while for them to fill it. Anyway, they announced it and basically three days later, totally full. So that was great a because I get to work with 40 people. But also, it's just really great to know that this is meeting a very real need. And it will be really interesting to do it with men as well and see what kind of responses and engagement and questions they bring up to. So that was an exciting bit of news in my email today.

Okay, so let's talk about podcasts, other people's podcasts. So I'm going to share five of them with you.

The first one I'm starting with, is actually hosted by someone who's has been a guest on this podcast and is a friend of mine, someone I respect a lot and who has a lot of wisdom. He's called Graham or cot he is as well as being the host of the podcast and going to tell you about he created and founded think productive, which is one of the world's leading productivity companies. He's written numerous, numerous books. And you can always go back and listen to the episode that I did with him as well, where we're talking about productivity and kindness for leaders. Anyway, his podcast is called Beyond busy. And whilst he is a productivity ninja, what's the name of one of his books, he the way he thinks about productivity is around crate creating space for the things that matter. I absolutely love that. And he gets fantastic guests on his podcast. And as a author, I think he's a penguin author, at the moment, or at least has been, it gets access to all the other penguin authors. So some great ones in there. And there's one episode in particular that I wanted to highlight to you, but go and check out because generally because there's on all sorts of different topics. There's all sorts of really interesting thinkers, they're quite long form episodes. And Graham asked really, really intelligent questions and it just has a really nice, gentle flow to it. You're listening to a really intelligent conversation as opposed to some podcasts, particularly by men where it's kind of a bit brash, and they have all the answers and it feels like you're listening to a new Rio Grande was awesome.

The links will all be in the show notes for this. And the episode I want to draw your attention to is called How to Stop trying to do everything with Oliver Berkman. It doesn't have an episode number, but it was from the seventh of January 2021. And I actually listen to this when having a very, very long dentist appointment, I was having about four fillings done. And I was like, What can distract me, whilst this is happening? Over Berkman, incredibly wise, wrote a column in I think it was either the observer or the guardian for many, many years, and has distilled that into quite a few books. And this one is fantastic. I've not read the book, I just listened to the podcast. And actually one of the reasons I wanted to share these episodes are sometimes you listen to a podcast, and you go and get the book. And it's brilliant. And sometimes just the podcast interview is enough. And for quite a few of these particular episodes, actually, for me, the podcast interview has been enough to give me what I needed or wanted what I wanted to get from it.

So my takeaway from this one is that we constantly hear that we need to get better at saying no to the things that we don't want to do. And in fact, it's something I talk about, as well, how to set boundaries, how to say no, bye. But actually, what Oliver Berkman says is, we all have a certain number of hours, his book, I think, is called 4000 hours. And there isn't actually time for all the things that we want to do. And basically a good life is when you consciously make the choices about what's important to you, and choose some things that you want to do that you're not going to do. And this has really helped me to both stop exhausting myself trying to do everything because I feel like I should, and also stop beating myself up when I can't. Because it just isn't possible. I've been trying to achieve the impossible. And sometimes talk about like the Superwoman conflict, where we feel like we should be doing everything that we should be brilliant at our work, we should be fantastic friend, we should be a fantastic parent, if we're a parent, or third parent, if we're a third parent, we should be eating healthily exercising, wow, we should have hobbies, we should be meditating, there's so many things that we should be doing. I struggle to do it or, and particularly as a solo parent running a growing business, I have stopped doing a lot of things. I'm only just now really thinking about hobbies, having had very, very few hobbies or any occasional chances to go out and play tennis, for example, for the last few years, so I thought that advice was really, really useful. And I found it really helpful for me, not only to think about what what's important to me, but to divide. Divide the time I'm in now from forever. I didn't articulate that very well. But what I mean is, I don't have to decide what's important to me for the rest of my life. Because what's important to me right now, this summer might be different from what's important to me, in January.

This year 2022, I consciously made a choice that what was important to me was to be really present for Charlie, as we moved completely relocated to completely the other end of the country at a time when he's about to start school as well. So I wanted to be able to settle him into school. And I very much wanted to build my business around my life rather than the other way around and slow down a bit. So that's what's important to me now. And there are things I've said no to things I'd like to do. I'm getting some really interesting opportunities to speak at the moment particularly connected to the book. And rather than that being the absolute driver, I'm thinking well how does this fit in with my life? Because actually, I'm gonna if I'm going to have to travel really far it's going to take a day and a half two days out of my everyday life and is that actually what I want to do? Is that worth it to me or would I be better staying at home and doing something virtual for example? That's that's the takeaway that I got from that podcast episode. So beyond busy we Do you recommend the podcast and particularly look out for the episode, the interview with Oliver Berkman?

Now, the podcast that I am listening to basically binge listening at the moment is Feel better Live more, which is hosted by Dr. Rangan Chatterjee. Again, long form podcasts, absolutely fantastic host could listen to him all day. Just lovely tone of voice, definitely not trying to know everything doesn't think he knows everything, just really curious. And one of those fantastic doctors that is able to mix, like medical advice with lifestyle medicine, basically. So there are many, many episodes I've listened to, or but one of them has had a really significant impact on me. And that is Episode 269, how to eat your way to better health by Dr. rupee, Agila. Now, it's a long form discussion between their friends. So they're two friends. And they're also two doctors. And essentially, it's about how food is medicine. Now, I have heard that before. And you know, at a theoretical level, I absolutely understood that you can add, you can improve your, your opportunity to live a long and healthy life through what you eat. However, for many, many years, I basically have eaten whatever I felt like rather than making healthy choices, and actually years ago, that didn't really matter so much. But since having Charlie, you will have heard me probably refer to this in the past, whatever I feel like is often quite substantial amount of sweet stuff. Let's take out the word quite it is a substantial amount of sweet stuff. And I haven't had a lot of self control over that not as much as I'd like to. And I feel like just I can't have it in the house basically, because I cannot resist once it is there.

This episode, this interview really helped me to think and feel differently about it. And I can't pinpoint one particular thing to take away, I would really recommend that if you are someone who is interested in living a longer, healthier life, if you're someone that struggles with healthy eating. If you're just someone who's just generally already very motivated to eat well, you'll find this really interesting. But after listening to that episode, I have become super interested in what I can eat, to feel better what I can eat to give myself the best chance of still being able to run around and be healthy and be present for Charlie when I'm 60. Because I am an old mother, I had Charlie when I was almost 43. I noticed it. Sometimes my knees were creaking even before I busted my knee. But I absolutely don't want to have the years of chronic illness that I have seen. Two of my grandparents have one of whom also had a very sweet tooth and loved the fizzy drinks have a big weakness for fizzy drinks one brand in particular. But I am cutting back or actually cutting that out again. Anyway, this episode didn't just change it theoretically, I've been eating more healthily since then. So I can remember when I listened to that episode, maybe about six weeks ago, I went on a really, really long walk and listen to it. And I have since followed up by joining the app which has got some great recipes. It's called the doctors kitchen. And it has led me on this journey of discovery where now actually I'm really really enjoying creating new recipes.

I am not someone who loves to cook, but creating trying new recipes, finding a version that works for me and knowing that that food is doing really good things for my body. So I would really recommend Feel better Live more for many of the episodes but particularly episode 269 how to eat your way to better health.

The next podcast I want to recommend is we can do hard things which is hosted by Glenn and Doyle, her wife Abby, one batch and her sister Amanda Doyle. Again, lots of great episodes I started with and this is actually my segue into quite a lot of new podcasts. I started with a guest I knew I loved which is Elizabeth Gilbert, because if you know you love the guests, that's a really great way to try out the podcast. and see if you like the interviewing style, if they add something if they bring something new out of that guest if they create a space for really interesting conversation, and these three absolutely do that. It's interesting listening to a podcast or essentially you've got four people on there. Sometimes I have to try and work out who is the speaking. There's a lovely vibe to this podcast. I am one of the few people in the world who has not read untamed yet, by Glennon. I absolutely need to do that. But I really like the ethos behind the podcast. And actually, it's a phrase I use with Charlie as well, when he's finding something hard. He's recently been learning to ride his bike with pedals. We went from balanced bike to that rather than doing stabilisers he's just got it. He's found it quite hard. And sometimes they say, We can do hard things, can't we, Charlie? And he goes, Yes, we can. So I love that phrase. Anyway, episodes 94 and 95 are two parts of an interview with Liz Gilbert. Now, if you've listened to my podcast before, you will have heard me mention Liz. She's incredibly famous primarily for her book, Eat, Pray Love, which got turned into a film. Now her book is a bit Marmite, and I am absolutely in the category of people who loves it. When I first read it. It was just so refreshing to have someone tell you what was going on in their head. So when you could write beautifully and could tell a wonderful story, but actually someone who was that honest about what was going on in their head and could articulate it so well. And I talk a lot about March, I talk a lot about it. I try and embody radical honesty. And I think that's why the podcast as well, I think that's why my LinkedIn posts get lots of engagement, why the programmes do well, because often leadership coaches think they have to be perfect. And often, leadership training is very corporate. And that's just not how I do things.

I am very real, and I try and keep it really real. And Liz Gilbert is the ultimate person on keeping it real. She's also gone through some huge things in her life. And I do think that going through really difficult things makes you wiser, so much wiser. I feel like for me, I'm not sure I was particularly wise before I had my many years of fertility struggles and loss. And whilst that was absolutely heartbreaking, it is absolutely shaped me into the person I am, who is much wiser than there used to be still got a lot to learn. But I'm a super fan of Liz because pretty much everything she says counselling, this wise, grounded place of love. I think she's got a special connection to the source of wisdom, however you want to find that and this episode, she talks really openly about grief and what it was actually like to be with the person she describes as the love of her life as that person was dying. And as they were struggling again, with addiction and so much wisdom in that episode, but there's some really fantastic insights on how she set boundaries and how she cared for herself in the toughest of situations. And there's a lot there's a lot she's not talked about publicly before.

She's not really talked about how her partner's addiction and how that fed into the whole grieving process. And she hasn't talked a huge amount about how they recognised that they were in love given that she was already married. And actually the three of them were incredibly close friends and how she dealt with that situation. So really, really loved that episode another episode of We can do hard things with another of my favourite wise people, which is Cheryl Strayed, who wrote wild and Tiny Beautiful things. Again, super wise, beautiful writer, fantastic guest to listen to So have a listen to that episode two. Now the fourth podcast I want to share with you is one I've newly discovered called postcards for mid life, which is hosted by Lorraine candy and Trish helping. So Lori Lorraine candy has had lots of very senior editorial jobs and I use To read her column in Style magazine, Trish helping again, lots of really senior editorial jobs. And I met her when she was the editor of read magazine, read has an always will be one of the few magazines that I get never miss one, I just absolutely love it. And Trish is fantastic, lovely, lovely person, she probably has no idea who I am now. But we worked together when I was at Rainbow trust, she helped us with a ball she was on the committee for a ball and helped us raise lots of money for sick children and their families. And I was drawn to this podcast and I think I resisted for a while I have resisted the whole term mid life for a while, because I didn't want to, I think I think I kind of associated it obviously with middle aged and middle aged always made me think of my parents. Now my parents aren't middle aged anymore, they are retired. And I am middle aged. I mean, it doesn't get more middle than 47. Probably if you're going to lead a long, healthy life. But it has always had negative connotations for me. But I'm increasingly starting to embrace this idea of midlife, particularly but there's lots of the people that I have looked up to or a follow do even just celebrities that I like are you know, five to 10 years older than me they are now in their 50s and embracing it. And whilst previously, ageing was probably something I was fairly negative about. I'm starting to embrace it more and starting to see the power in it more. And really, really interested in the menopause and permit primarily what happens on the other side of the menopause. And if you say an HRT do you get to be on the other side of the menopause, which is a whole different topic. But postcards from midlife is a great podcast where they are interviewing different people about what impacts you in midlife. And that particular episode that I listened to recently is called your midlife brain explained with Kate mirror. You know Kate is a documentary maker, she shares her own experience. She is also the mastermind behind the Davina McCall menopause documentaries.

I didn't actually realise them as a second one because I don't watch TV that much. And I discovered through this podcast that there is a second one. So the first thing I want to do is to sign post it if you've not watched the first one, go watch it. The second one have a look at that as well, because whilst the title has got sex in it, actually it's about your brain. I think it's called Brain Sex and the myths of menopause or something like that. But it was really, really fascinating to see what happens to your brain during menopause. And my God, it makes you think men have it easy. I mean, what hormones do to our brain and the permanent impacts of that? If you're not getting that extra oestrogen is terrifying. I think one of the things I've picked up from the documentary was like at some point when we are going through menopause, we lose 25% of the capacity of a particular part of our brain. No wonder we have BrainPOP no Rhonda we struggle to remember things and I think I'm actually going to do a podcast episode specifically on brain fog and one specifically on perimenopause because if you're listening to this and thinking well that's nice colour but I'm in my 30s it's not relevant to me. It will be soon menopause was menopause is something that often happens to women in their 50s perimenopause starts a lot lot sooner and in fact, my perimenopause started in my mid 30s.

I know someone who's perimenopause started in her late 20s. And she thought that she had a really really terrible illness because she just felt so awful with it. So everyone's experiences are different, but it's something I would absolutely encourage everyone to educate them on No Matt themselves on no matter what age they are, and we need to keep having that conversation. Anyway, I was listening to this episode just last week on a train journey home. So during my holiday, I did have one day where I had to go and run a workshop in London. And in that workshop, my midlife brain was noticeably struggling with brain fog. I struggled to spell words on the flip chart. I was searching for words and where normally when I facilitating I have absolute clarity and can come up with insightful questions and just see a clear path through. Whilst this was a really complex meeting. There's a lot going on. I just didn't have that clear path at all. And even actually, my inner critic kicked in big time I could hear I mean, lucky, I could recognise it as my inner critic, but I could hear my inner critic going, that person's made such a good point, I should have made that point they should be up here instead of me, what am I even doing doing this I should not be facilitating anymore.

And then I caught myself, I recognised that was my inner critic. And I set it aside and refocused on being present in the room, which is something I teach other people how to do. And it's rare actually, that comes up for me in the workplace, but it very clearly came up then. And on my trade journey home was feeling pretty sorry for myself. And I was thinking maybe I haven't done much facilitating like, my brain works really well, for a lot of the other things I'm doing. But the last few times I have facilitated I have found it challenging. Now, I don't think the clients have noticed, in fact, this client, so they thought that it had been a great session. And sometimes less of me is better when facilitating, but I noticed and I was thinking maybe I should just not do facilitation anymore. And then that was quite depressing the idea of just not doing any something, because my brain doesn't do it as well. And obviously, when you work for yourself, you have a bit more choice about that. But when you're in a job, well, you can't just stop doing parts of your role. And I thought, well, I listen to this podcast episode, because I thought, yeah, my midlife brain, I do need to understand it a bit more. And I think that podcast episode may turn out to be life changing for me, because I thought I was pretty well educated on hormones, HRT and the menopause, having experienced early menopause. But it turns out that, as they say, in the podcast, and in the Devina, documentary, when you go through menopause, you lose three hormones. You have a dip in oestrogen and progesterone and testosterone. And with HRT, they only give you two back. So with HRT, you generally are given oestrogen and progesterone. And you're rarely given testosterone unless you go to the doctor and say that you're struggling with libido. And actually, testosterone when they give it to women, not only do they say that their libido has improved. And there are various other things that improve many of them saying, yeah, yeah, that's really nice. But actually, I have clarity. Now the brain fog has dissipated. And that was really interesting to me, because I have been on HRT for a long time. And when my levels aren't quite right of oestrogen,

I do notice the brain fog, but it's really only recently that that seems to have got significantly worse. And I have actually never talked to the doctor about testosterone. And I feel like probably my testosterone levels, which haven't been checked for about five years have dipped, so I'm off to the GP to get my blood tested and get my testosterone level checked. And if it is low to ask for HRT, and if I have to say I have low libido together, then I will say I have low libido and because they can't actually prescribe it to you because you have brain fog. It's not indicated for that reason. So you have to say you have low libido and actually I have no idea because I'm not in a relationship. But the fact that I do not have the energy for a relationship despite being in what I hope is still vaguely my prime in my 40s actually got me thinking maybe I do have low libido is just that I have just, it's so low, I've just forgotten what it even means to want to be in a relationship. Anyway, let's not go too far down that route on a public podcast.

Okay, so really recommend your midlife brain explained to Kate Muir on the postcards for midlife podcast and they should definitely be listening to more of that podcast and I also follow those two on Instagram as well. Now the fifth and final podcast is the Greg McEwan podcast. Now this used to be called I think essentialism which is the name of one of his books. And the episode I'm talking about is episode 39. And he'd when he changed the name he started re numbering as well. So it's the original episode 39 Not the most recent episode 39 If there is one, and it was an interview with Nia Ale on how to be in distractible. Now, Nick is the author of the book in distractible and I actually signed up for the audio book of that. And turns out I don't really like audiobooks. Much as I love podcasts I find audio books quite odd So I never got through that. But I got so much from this podcast interview that I don't feel like I actually really need the book. And one of the takeaways I got from that podcast episode was actually linked to diet again. So I really struggle with snacking too much when I am finding something hard. When I was writing my book, when I found the phrasing of something hard, I would get up, go get something to eat, when I am bored, I would go and get up and get something to eat. And what I'm increasingly recognising is I love my work. But I have a really short attention span, to the point where, you know, I've done those tests on ADHD and it's like, is borderline there are some ways in which I do not have the symptoms of ADHD. Symptoms is the right word indications maybe of ADHD. And there are some ways in which yep, I totally have about half of them.

But what I recognise is actually, I really do miss leading teams and being in the office with people, it wouldn't work for me now with my lifestyle. And what I do, I find it really hard to go and sit at a desk nine to five. But actually, the downside is I need people to talk to and around me, and I need those structures around me. So it's not socially acceptable to get up and snack all day long. And I do get bored on my own, even when I'm loving what I'm doing. And I have lots of code, which is great. I don't get bored during those. But there's a lot of time with me sat here at my desk, even in my new office. And I actually think it was one of the reasons I ended up moving house is I had spent three years staring at the same walls and with locked down that just got exacerbated. But I'm really conscious that I need to get out and about and meet people in real life a lot more. Anyway, what this episode helped me to understand is that when I am getting up to go and get a snack, I'm basically trying to avoid uncomfortable feelings, and sensations, often boredom. What near talks about is learning to surf that wave of feeling and notice it ebb away rather than acting on it immediately. So he says when you've got an urge something a craving for something. So it might be a craving for a snack. Or it might be a craving to go and step away from the work that you need to get done and do the washing or the dishwasher or whatever, it might just be a craving to check your emails or pick up your phone, which I do far too often. Instead of trying to resist it forever through willpower, what he suggests doing is saying, if I still want to do it in 10 minutes think he says 10 might be five. But if I still want to do it in 10 minutes, I'll do it then I'll just wait the 10 minutes. And he said often after that 10 minutes, you don't want to do it. But what you can do to take it to the next level is notice that craving get curious about that craving. And this is a Buddhist technique, as well.

Notice where you feel it in your body are you going so for me, it's a jittery leg, I don't want to keep still I like craving to move. And that's mainly how it shows up. For me that restlessness and just noticing that are getting curious and watching it and notice does it increase in intensity? Does it stay the same? What changes and the idea of a wave really interested me that basically it peaks. And then it ebbs away. And actually, if you can sit through an experience that that helps in two ways, one is realising that it will pass and two is actually recognising the emotional sensation that's underneath it. Because we go around in a fog of not thinking and not being conscious of what's going on. And we basically I basically often will eat my feelings, not huge traumatic feelings, but feeling of boredom. I don't want to feel bored and so I get up and distract myself with a snack and that gives me a bit of a dopamine hit as well and then I'll sit down and do some more work. And actually, if I want to adult and I think a lot of this podcast is really about adulting it's something I have resisted for a long time adulting I'm looking out the window now and I have hung washing up on the line I've never had a washing line before that has just about to grown up to mature to domesticated I'm like who wants to you know I don't I'm not a person who hangs out washing I have now person hangs out washing really likes hanging out watching. I'm interested in the weather to know whether I can put my washing out or not ridiculous, but I'm starting to adult at the age of 47.

Anyway part of adulting is to get to understand and your feelings. And whilst I've learned how to do that with big, disturbing feelings, I absolutely am still just starting to learn how to do that with those smaller, nagging feelings of discomfort. So I really recommend that episode as well. So those are the five podcasts I really recommend and the particular episodes I found helpful. I just want to share with you a couple of other podcasts for inspiration, not particular episodes. So I, for years have loved the good life project is hosted by Jonathan fields. And he's also written a book called How to live a good life, which is really, really interesting book about how we got particular buckets that need to be filled up. And he has really fantastic guests, often I'll discover new people through his podcast, so really recommend the good life project. Another podcast I've probably recommended before is 10% happier, which is all about mindfulness and meditation. It is hosted by Dan Harris. I've also read his book 10% happier again would recommend if you're even vaguely interested in meditation, mindfulness, Buddhism, understanding your feelings, really recommend temps and happier, fantastic guests on there. It has got a Buddhist slant to it. But actually, as far as I'm concerned, there's a huge amount of wisdom in Buddhism. Another Buddhist orientated podcast is Tara Brach. It really, really well. He's a great storyteller, she always has a funny story to tell, I don't know how she gets them. And basically, her podcasts are broadcasts of the talk she gives to her community. And lots in there. If you're struggling with what's going on in the world, and how you feel about it. If you're struggling with everyday life, if you just want to become wiser, there's meditations in there as well. It's a really lovely entry point, I kind of think of it as Buddhist Wisdom without the religious aspect. So really recommend that and then to more mainstream podcasts, happy place with Fern cotton, love the journey Fern has been on. Listen to some of the episodes, often the episodes are with really famous people. And actually, I kind of prefer hearing from experts, and more ordinary people. But some of the episodes are fascinating. And I just love what Fern ferns journey. And again, her openness and honesty.

And then also Diary of a CEO, Stephen Bartlett's, some fantastic guests that he has on as well. I really like his interviewing style, I don't really get the bit at the beginning, where he asked you to keep the podcast a secret. But the rest of it, I think is fantastic. And again, some great long form interviews. So there you go, you've probably heard quite a bit about my life there alongside the podcasts that I recommend. So apologies, if you are looking for a five step process to do something, this isn't one of those episodes. But if you listen to any of those episodes, that I've just recommended, do let me know. Or if you do get in touch with the podcasters do say you heard it from me. And do give them reviews. And again, if you listen to this podcast and you find it helpful, the only way the podcast grows is either through word of mouth, or through reviews and ratings on whatever podcast platform you are listening to.

So if you have had some benefit from listening to this podcast, I would encourage you to pay that forward and spread the word or give it a review in some way. Because I would love this podcast to reach as many people as possible. And I don't have a zillion pounds to spend on advertising to do that. So please help me on that mission. And again, for those podcasts that you listen to. There's a huge amount of work goes on behind the scenes like I am having a chilled out week. But it has been I've spent this morning prepping this podcast. Like it when you've listened. But actually it has taken me a whole morning to prep and record this podcast. And I do that pretty much every single week. It's a lot of time and there are other podcasters who work even harder on it than I do. And we'll spend a lot of a lot of time scoping their questions out and stuff beforehand.

So it's a really lovely simple way of saying thank you giving something back appreciating it. Give them a rating give them Have a review and it also helps other people to find them. Right. Have a fantastic week. I look forward to being in your ears next week. And like I said, Stay tuned because we've got a really exciting announcement coming up, take care if you've listened to the podcast and you want to know more about how we can work together, here are a few places you can look.

First of all, I've got a couple more freebies. I've got a free PDF on increasing your leadership impact at work, and I've also got a free masterclass on becoming a more influential leader without letting self-doubt hold you back. So head on over to the website to book yourself a place on the masterclass or to download that PDF.

There are my open programmes Influence and Impact for women at management and leadership level and be bolder a four week live assertiveness and confidence course for women at any level. You can preorder my book closing the influence gap, a practical guide for women leaders who want to be heard. You can also work with me one to one particularly if you're a senior leader, and you can hire me to work in house to do talks for awareness weeks, one of workshops, a series of workshops, or to run my influence and impact programme or be bolder programme in house as a women's leadership or women's empowerment offering. If you want to talk about any of those on my website, you can drop me an email or you can also book a quick 15 minute chat so we can talk about what you need and how I might be able to help you or your organisation so I look forward to chatting to you. Take care