"At this particular moment, am I in alignment with, am I in resonance with my values, with what I stand for, with what my heart beats for?" Migena Gjerazi In this special compilation episode, I revisit conversations from Episodes 100 to 200, to bring together moments from conversations to explore how choice isn’t always obvious, but it’s always the…

I didn’t set out to reach 200 episodes—I set out to follow the joy. And in this episode, I reflect on how joy hasn’t come from numbers or milestones, but from the moments in between - from the magic of sitting down and having real, honest conversations. Over the years, I’ve explored everything from emotional intelligence to leadership transitions, …

"Playfulness is our natural state of well-being. We are playful when we are well." Chris Marshall Chris Marshall and I explore why playfulness isn’t frivolous or childish but fundamental to how we thrive at work and in life. We discuss how playfulness helps us embrace complexity, navigate uncertainty and show up as our whole, human selves. Chris sh…

"... you take people outdoors. They get into a resourceful state, you're able to explore more. You can use nature. I call it wayfinding, just like you use a compass and things like that. You can use the path you're on as a metaphor. And because you're outdoors, you can stay inquisitive longer." Murph Murph and I explore the incredible benefits of m…

"You can hear the silence emerging in the room. You can hear the sound of silence. There's a peace that comes with, a harmony that comes from it. It offers an opportunity for more sharing, more cooperation, less competition. So it's very generative." Carissa Bub Carissa Bub and I explore the transformative power of silence in leadership and life. W…

"When I realised how much joy there was to be had in life, full stop, in your job and in people paying you to do something you actually enjoy, blew my mind. After 20 years of office work, I was like, wait, wait, I get to have fun and they pay me. I was really surprised by that." Ana Clements Ana Clements and I explore the journey of rediscovering p…

"...because we're all imperfect if we have any kind of power, including even just like having a strong personality, that we can be doing things that we don’t even realise are intimidating or shutting down other people."​ David Lee In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Susanne Evans and David Lee for one of our irregular but always insightful conversa…

"I was completely transfixed by the idea of these very tiny teapots and these tiny tea cups that were serving small amounts of tea." James Thirlwall James Thirlwall and I explore the connection between tea and creating connection. I venture out of my usual space to record in a delightful and intimate setting: a tiny teahouse in East Oxford. We delv…

"Any given moment contains unlimited futures that can become real. The reality that occurs is the one you pay attention to." [Quoting] Penney Peirce In this inaugural episode of 2025 I reflect on three recent inspirations — a movie and two exhibitions — that explore themes of creativity, certainty and choice. Drawing connections between the iterati…

In this year-end episode of 'Life Beyond the Numbers,' I explore the theme of going beyond the status quo. The episode features a compilation of interviews and stories from previous episodes focused on creating a more fulfilling work life by emphasising the human side of our work-lives. I share a selection of snippets with insights on topics such a…

"The actions that we take are the things that are going to get us results, whether we like it or not. And so looking at those results, which business leaders are looking at all the time. We're always looking at those results. Are we meeting our outcomes? Are we meeting our metrics? And if we're not getting those results, well, we're not taking the …

"For everything that we do, if you cared this much - just a couple of centimetres of care - it would make all the difference in the world". Marc Haine Marc Haine and I discuss how small, intentional acts of care can transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. From building trust to creating a culture of excellence, this episode is packed with in…

"We can do so much better for ourselves in terms of the way in which we live and the degree of fulfilment and meaning that we derive from life." Kate Jones Kate Jones shares her unique approach to fostering personal and organisational fulfilment. We explore her Wheel of New Horizons, a framework for helping successful yet unfulfilled individuals re…

"If they're not applying creative and intuitive thinking in addition to critical and judgmental thinking, then they're not creating new knowledge for the organisation. They're just taking old knowledge and rearranging it. And for me, that's not adding value." Jackie Eaton Jackie Eaton shares her unique career path from obtaining a mathematics degre…

"...they were willing to take risks for the experience .... and I think I've really taken that on." Liz Jarman Liz Jarman and I discuss her planned departure as CEO of Living Goods at the end of 2024. She shares her fascinating approach to succession planning, leadership transitions and a non-linear career path. We chat through some of her achievem…

"Don't be funny, be human - you don't have to force it. Have a sense of humour. Have the ability to look at situations and see the humour that you do when you're outside of work. How often do you go home from work and you're sitting at the dinner table saying to your partner, or your family, you just wouldn't even believe what happened today..." Be…

"This is about what you are experiencing. And I think the beauty of your experience is it's your experience and no one can argue with that." David Lee and I delve into the significance of emotional self-regulation and co-regulation, highlighting the impact they have on psychological safety and productive workplace environments. We discuss concepts …

I am thoroughly enjoying reading "Wayfinding: The Art and Science of How We Find and Lose Our Way" by Michael Bond and have drawn from it to put together this episode. The parallels between how we do this out there in the wild and within the daily confines or our work-life struck me. I've used excerpts from this book, in particular the psychology o…

"There's schools of thought around us; the quantum nature of humanity in terms of us being energy and vibrations. And whether you think of it as woo-woo, pseudoscience or whatever, I'm not concerned about that as much as understanding that when we got on this call, our energy levels were higher than usual and matching each other. And I think that i…

"It's doing it on purpose, and knowing you can do it on purpose; that's what's really important when it comes to negotiations." Phil Brown Phil Brown and I delve into the nuances of negotiation. Phil emphasises the significance of human interaction, confidence-building, and specific skills such as active listening, questioning, and observation. He …

"So even in that dynamic of a relationship, how can I have a growth mindset and see my mother or father in the way they are now? How can I have conversations that may have triggered me in the past? But now I know I'm an adult, not that child reacting, to build my parent in the future. It's the same with organizations. It's the human dynamics." Tasn…

The podcast reached a milestone of 10,000 downloads during the month of June. It has been listened to in 80+ countries and of those 10 what are the top 10 by downloads? And do those top 10 have a central theme to them? I was delighted to find that yes, of course they did. Many of the guests that I speak to talk about aspects of their work-life jour…

In this episode I explore the concept of compassion and self-compassion. I unpack what compassion is and why it’s crucial in our lives, the incredible benefits of self-compassion for both mental and physical health and cover some ways you can begin to cultivate compassion for yourself and others. Special insights from the work of Kristin Neff and D…

"I then realised that if gardening can be a metaphor for supplier management, nature's landscapes could be a metaphor for our lives." Alison Smith Alison Smith and I discuss her unique approach as a facilitator, coach, and author, of using nature and its landscapes as powerful metaphors to bridge understanding in business and life. Over a 24-year j…

"There's four key components that I focus on in my work and my programs. The environment [ ]. There's behaviour. You would be shocked if I told you that almost every single thing that we do from the moment we wake up until the moment we go to bed, is an amalgamation of the quality later that night of how we sleep." Dan White Dan White and I discuss…

"The one thing ..... there's so many. I would probably say, as a reaction to your question, trust yourself and other people." Kevin Chevis Kevin Chevis shares valuable insights from his extensive career in a variety of leadership roles, highlighting his diverse experiences, including with mergers, acquisitions, and navigating financial challenges. …

"Susan, I've taken enough time with these questions. Firstly, I just want to say, I'm thankful that I've met you. And two, this is an absolutely brilliant book and I love it." Matt Phelan In this episode I celebrate the launch of my new book Leading Beyond the Numbers: How accounting for emotions tips the balance at work. The book was launched duri…

"Variation is the norm, that actually we're all unique. We are all different. And even how we approach learning and decision making, we're all different." Susan Ni Chriodain In this special episode of 'Life Beyond the Numbers,' I take on a unique role as the interviewee, giving Dr. Susanne Evans the reins to explore the themes, inspirations, and ke…

"When momentum really comes into play so much of the background noise fades further into the background. And then momentum builds momentum. You become unstoppable, mostly!" Susan Ni Chriodain In this episode you are invited to explore the multifaceted journey of writing and self-discovery, offering a glimpse into the challenges and rewards. I delve…

"Most of the time we're not listening, really listening. We're actually just thinking, what do I want to say next or what shall I say next? And just listening for the odd word or phrase that we need to hear in order to meaningfully respond in a way that satisfies us." Rob Lawrence Rob Lawrence and I talk about the power of sound, the art of listeni…

"Basically it's books that we recommend a lot or books that have really changed our practice." Dr. Susanne Evans In honour of World Book Day and the value of reading Dr. Susanne Evans, David Lee and I recorded a conversation that explores a wide range of reads that have significantly impacted us including personal development, reflective practice, …

"Imagine if we create this whole chain of psychologically safe environments that every single individual in that chain had that sense of psychological safety. The innovation, the creativity and the sheer drive, growth, productivity and all of those things mean that we would be leaping forwards in terms of how we do things and generating new opportu…

"Insights" is a compilation episode that explores themes of resourcefulness, inner resources, and personal responsibility in accessing those resources. Through excerpts from previous episodes in 2024, you are introduced to various perspectives on living vibrant lives, self-leadership, the significance of listening to one's inner voice, and taking p…

"This book is about telling a different version of a story. That might begin to rebalance and imbalance. It is about leading beyond the numbers and still knowing our worth contribution and value. It is about recognising people as people and not as numbers on a payroll or statistics in a report." Susan Ni Chriodain In this solo episode I talk more a…

"What we need to then do, though, is, rather than trying to create tomorrow based on all the clutter and the stuff that has and hasn't worked, we need to rewire to a future possibility." Nathan Simmonds Nathan Simmonds and I discuss the importance of facing life challenges, overcoming personal struggles, and finding the strength to embrace a new pa…

"An Emotional Overdraft is the way that founders and entrepreneurs and leaders subsidise a business at the cost of their own mental or physical reserves and that can be very unhealthy and very damaging." Andy Brown Andy Brown and I discuss how acknowledging and understanding our emotions is crucial, not just for business owners, but for anyone in a…

"I always think about the work joy formula as how do you actually go from where you are to getting more joy in your life?" Beth Stallwood Beth Stallwood highlights the importance of personal responsibility for one's joy in a work environment. She talks us through her journey of discovering joy in her work. She cleverly contrasts work joy from work …

"I delve into that in the book - the fact that none of us ever really know what's going on for someone else." Susan In this solo episode I talk about my upcoming book, Leading Beyond the Numbers: How Accounting for Emotions Tips the Balance at Work. I talk about the inspiration behind the book. I read out some of the endorsements I have received to…

"If there's one huge piece of advice I can give, it's pick your lane and stay in it .... Don't worry about what anyone else is doing, just decide what you want, decide how you're going to get that and focus." Sally Oddy Sally Oddy, an established entrepreneur, shares insights about her journey from being an employee to become a successful business …

"Never think you reaching too high. If you want to do something, go for it, go for what you actually want." Mags de Valois Note: This episode from the archives was originally episode #13 on Oct 20th, 2020. For this episode I have recorded a brief introduction and a summary at the end with my key takeaways. Margaret de Valois shares her journey of e…

"I'm consistently, continuously discovering this... I discovered that the key is the centre. Not losing your centre. This message constantly comes to me, all roads lead to centre. Because of course it's normal, human, to go into extremes." Claudia Anghel Claudia Angel talks about her transition from a traditional career in human resources to workin…

"Every conversation we have is co-created with other people." In this solo episode I reflect on the influence of creative thinking in daily life. The World Economic Forum's top 10 skills of 2023 highlights creative thinking as the second top skill. Although creativity is often linked to monumental achievements or works of art, creativity emanates f…

"We are always at our best when we have freedom to be human. And what I mean by that is when we remember, or lean into, what makes us human, oh my gosh, that's octane for our performance and it's so much easier." Karina Rook Karina Rook is an advocate for the virtue of 'freedom to be human' in our work-lives. In our conversation we cover the import…

"This is my mission, I think this is what I really want to do and what I'm born to do, to help people wake up." Caroline Tanja Banz Caroline Tanja Banz shares her journey of self-discovery, which led her to 'marry herself' symbolically as an act of self-love and commitment to her own needs. Prior to this she said she had been a chameleon, adapting …

"Happiness comes from a wide variety of different sources. And actually happiness is not the one single thing that we should pursue because part of being human is the whole world of emotion and feelings. And all of them are valid." Gavin Andrews In this episode, we explore the concept of mind-body connection and its implication for workplaces. The …

In this final episode of 2023, I take a reflective look back at the year, highlighting some guest interviews, insights and personal journeys. The journey from episode 116 to 156 was marked by diverse conversations traversing topics like personal growth, slowing down, challenges the significance of creativity, self-expression and giving people the c…

"I felt younger, I felt nostalgic, I felt the preciousness of life and the genuine appreciation of true friends." Susan In this episode, I reflect on the significance of friendships in my life and the joy that they bring. I share experiences with friends from different phases of life, including colleagues from Deloitte, a friend from Pakistan, and …

"If I'm working with somebody and they don't do their agreed upon "homework" and I'm telling myself a story like, Oh, they're not motivated. They're lazy. They don't take it seriously. And instead of coming from that judgey point of view, asking, so what happened? And it turns out they didn't understand what the assignment was or whatever. Get curi…

"When people realise that I don't have enough self-love, I don't think you can teach somebody to have self love or to have a connection to your heart, but you can, become more conscious with the lack of it. And by doing that you start to vest in your own love and then in the love for other beings." Stephan Pfingsten Stephan Pfingsten and I discuss …

"Asking for help, I mean, I had no clue that that was the way out. It didn't even cross my mind at all. It's so crazy that asking for help was the way out." Migena Gjerazi Migena Gjerazi and I delve into personal visions, change, surrender, taking responsibility for our choices and asking for help. Migena shares the importance of aligning with valu…