In this episode, I’m joined by Leah Boxell, CEO and founder of Enable Lists, for a conversation about legacy, impact and the people who shape us often without realising just how much they have done.

Leah begins with a powerful letter to her first boss, David, the person who saw something in her at 16 and gave her something that changed everything: hope.

Leah shares part of her personal story, from a difficult and traumatic childhood to building a successful career and founding her own business.

We talk about leadership, kindness, change, the impact our words can have, and why she is now paying that hope forward through Move Different, a charity created to help young people feel heard, supported and less likely to fall through the cracks.

Highlights:

(01:14) - Leah reads a letter to the boss who changed her life

(02:39) - How Leah’s childhood shaped her drive and resilience

(06:46) - Why David gave her hope, not just a job

(09:17) - What leaders need to understand about people going through change

(18:29) - The moment that led Leah to share her story publicly

(22:17) - Why Move Different is focused on systemic change for young people

Leah’s links:

Move Different - https://www.move-different.org/

Enablists - https://enablists.co.uk/meet-enablists/

Connect with Emma:

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This Podcast is proudly produced by Wavemakers Audio

In this reflective episode, I’m talking about failure, or more specifically, whether we are sometimes too quick to call something a failure before we have actually understood what it came to teach us.

After a recent experience where the outcome was not what I had hoped for, I found myself thinking deeply about labels, judgement, shame and the way we respond when things feel messy.

I explore the difference between failure, error, mistake and unintended outcome, and how each word changes the way we think, feel and act. For leaders, this matters.

The language we use can either shut learning down or open up curiosity, reflection and better decision making. Sometimes the uncomfortable bit is exactly where the most useful insight is hiding.

Highlights:

(01:10) - Why a recent unintended outcome sparked this reflection

(02:18) - How pressure can distort our thinking patterns

(03:43) - Why the word failure can feel so heavy and final

(06:05) - How “unintended outcome” creates space for learning

(08:06) - The difference between shame and curiosity

(11:14) - Why messy moments can lead to better decisions

Connect with Emma:

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This Podcast is proudly produced by Wavemakers Audio

In this episode, I’m taking a slightly lighter route, inspired by a book that made me laugh, made me feel a little bit seen, and reminded me how easy it is to question what success is supposed to look like.

It also got me thinking about gratitude, and why we have not really talked about it here before.

I’m sharing why noticing the positives matters, especially when life and leadership feel busy, messy or heavy. From a clearer-than-expected commute to a kind voice note from a colleague, the small things can genuinely shift your energy.

And as leaders, how we recognise and share those moments can make a real difference to the people around us too.

Highlights:

(01:50) - The book that sparked a bigger thought about success

(03:27) - Why we often dismiss what is going well

(04:22) - How tiny moments of gratitude can change the tone of your day

(05:42) - Three simple things worth being grateful for

(06:57) - Making gratitude part of your average week

(07:37) - How leaders can spread positivity through team wins

Connect with Emma:

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This Podcast is proudly produced by Wavemakers Audio

In this episode, I’m talking about change, and why it can feel so much harder than we expect, even when we genuinely want it.

Whether you’re trying to shift something in yourself, your team, or a whole organisation, there’s usually an existing system quietly trying to pull everything back to how it was.

I revisit Kurt Lewin’s three-step change model, unfreeze, change, refreeze, but focus on the part that often gets overlooked: community. Because change is rarely just about process.

It’s about people, support, shared experience, and not feeling like you’re dragging the whole thing uphill on your own.

Highlights:

(01:36) - Why organisations naturally resist change, even with the best intentions

(02:31) - Revisiting Kurt Lewin’s three-step model with fresh eyes

(04:02) - The community piece that often gets missed in change theory

(05:24) - How a coaching cohort helped me become a new version of myself

(06:43) - Why workplace change feels easier when you know who you can lean on

(08:07) - Simple ways to build community around change, formally and informally

Connect with Emma:

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This Podcast is proudly produced by Wavemakers Audio

In this episode, I’m exploring a simple but powerful tool that can help us understand how we’re really doing as leaders.

I’m talking about the energy emotion matrix, how our energy and emotions work together, and what they reveal about whether we’re performing, renewing, surviving or heading towards burnout.

This is a practical conversation, but it’s also a deeply human one. If you’ve been feeling stretched, flat or just slightly off, this framework can help you make sense of it and decide what you need next, with more honesty, self-awareness and care.

Highlights:

(05:36) - The zone where high energy and positive emotion help us do our best work

(06:18) - Why renewal matters just as much as performance

(08:17) - The signs you may be operating in survival mode

(09:33) - How low energy and negative emotion can lead to burnout

(11:25) - Why this matters so much for leaders and their teams

(12:08) - The question to ask yourself if you want to shift your zone

Connect with Emma:

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This Podcast is proudly produced by Wavemakers Audio

In this episode, I’m talking about something easy to forget and impossible to escape as a leader, people are always watching. Not in a dramatic way, but in the everyday moments that quietly shape how others respond to you, trust you, and decide what feels safe around you.

I explore why leadership is never just about what we say, it is also about what our behaviour teaches people over time.

I also get into the habits leaders create without meaning to, from rushed decision making to cancelled one-to-ones and the signals we send about work, priority and trust.

This one is a reminder that if the responses you are getting from your team are not what you want, it may be time to look at what your own behaviour is inviting.

Highlights:

(00:48) - Why leadership means being watched more than we realise

(02:07) - The small behaviours people notice straight away

(04:17) - What cancelled one-to-ones might really be communicating

(05:44) - How leaders accidentally shape what feels safe at work

(07:57) - Why people stop making decisions around you

(09:42) - The reminder, your behaviour sets the tone

Connect with Emma:

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This Podcast is proudly produced by Wavemakers Audio

In this episode, I’m reflecting on a few milestones that stopped me in my tracks, ten years since leaving corporate employment, the end of the first quarter of 2026, and the realisation that both have stirred up more reflection than I expected.

I talk about burnout, identity, purpose and what I have learned about myself through stepping away from employment and building something of my own.

I also share what this last quarter has brought up for me, from emotional heaviness and pressure to the reminder that pushing through is not always the answer.

This one is thoughtful, honest and full of those quieter leadership lessons that only seem to land when we finally slow down enough to hear them.

Highlights:

(03:11) - Why the last quarter felt heavier than I expected

(04:12) - What leaving corporate taught me about identity and self-discovery

(06:51) - How values became clearer once ambition stopped driving everything

(08:56) - Why fear can be data, not a stop sign

(11:03) - The reminder that you cannot just keep pushing through

(13:35) - What slowing down made possible for me this time

Connect with Emma:

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This Podcast is proudly produced by Wavemakers Audio

In this episode, I’m talking about something so many leaders wrestle with, challenging conversations. The ones we know we need to have, but would often rather avoid.

I explore why we so often frame these moments as a choice between honesty and kindness, when actually the most effective leadership asks for both.

I also get into what really makes these conversations feel hard, from fear of conflict to worrying how the other person will respond, and why better preparation can change everything.

This one is practical, thoughtful and a really useful reminder that honesty does not have to damage trust when it is delivered with respect and care.

Highlights:

(03:10) - Why honesty and kindness are not opposites

(05:42) - The language shift that helps people stay open

(07:18) - Why safety matters in a difficult conversation

(08:05) - The trap of focusing on what you cannot control

(09:08) - What to focus on instead, if you want the conversation to go well

(10:06) - The reminder, you can be honest and kind at the same time

Connect with Emma:

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Website

This Podcast is proudly produced by Wavemakers Audio