Life Beyond The Numbers – Détails, épisodes et analyse

"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. We dive into the paradox of silence - how it can feel awkward or even frightening, yet hold the potential for profound connection and insight. We discuss how cultivating stillness can unlock deeper awareness, relational intelligence, and a new level of courageous leadership. By tapping into stillness, leaders can listen more deeply, respond with empathy, and foster psychological safety within teams. Carissa shares her journey of embracing silence as a resource, not just as a practice but as a way of being that enhances presence, influence and authentic leadership. We also discuss the role of reflective practices, playfulness, and trusting in life’s unfolding mystery.

Carissa Bub is a Leadership and Systems Coach on a mission to re-humanise organisations. With one foot firmly in the business world and the other gently planted in the earth, she enables leaders and teams to navigate complex change with dignity and agency. For 25 years, she's partnered with C-suite leaders to build stronger connections - from the boardroom to the marketplace - bringing strength and heart to strategic dialogue. As a seasoned facilitator now trained in nature-based practices, she invites her clients to take off their shoes, both physically and metaphorically, deepening their trust in life and empowering them to use their gifts for the benefit of all life. What sets Carissa apart is her unique blend of systemic coaching expertise and her background as a BBC journalist turned media trainer. She creates spaces where authentic communication catalyses real change, helping leaders develop both their inner presence and outer voice to shape lasting impact. As faculty at CRRGlobal and Six Team Conditions, she helps coaches and consultants develop their practice in systemic transformation. A TEDx speaker, Carissa challenges organisations to think differently about leadership and change, cultivating environments where people and performance naturally thrive.

Connect with Carissa:

Through her website: www.carissabub.com

On LinkedIn 

Resources Mentioned:

Conclave – an example of silence and uncertainty in leadership moments.

Atomic Habits by James Clear 

The Sound of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel 

Marcel Marceau – influenced Carissa’s fascination with silence

Brother David Steindl-Rast – for his work on gratefulness and trust in life.

Eckhart Tolle – someone who embodies playfulness and presence.

Brahma Kumaris (BKs) – their practice of “Just a Minute” silence.

London Writers’ Salon – silent writing sessions.

Center for Awakening – Monday silence gatherings.

On Being with Krista Tippett – Yo-Yo Ma’s discussion on the space between musical notes.

Unlimited Futures - Episode 193 Life Beyond the Numbers 

"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 passion, pursuing creativity and embracing reinvention at any stage of life. She shares how reaching midlife made her reflect on what she truly wanted - bringing her back to music, voice work and ultimately, audiobook narration. Ana also shares the impact of late diagnosis of ADHD on her life and discusses the significance of self-compassion, continuous learning, and the art of performing while staying true to oneself. Whether you're considering a career shift or simply need encouragement to take that next step, Ana’s story will leave you inspired to trust your own path and embrace what makes you come alive.

Award-nominated Ana Clements is a passionate speaker, coach, and professional voice artist. With over a decade in the industry, she has narrated audiobooks for major publishers, bringing a wealth of character voices to her performances in both British and Spanish. As the founder of Audiobooks on Clubhouse, Ana has built a thriving community where narrators and creatives connect and share insights. Since 2021, she has hosted weekly sessions, deepening her understanding of the challenges and lived experiences of a creative career. Ana has spoken at industry-leading events, including VO Atlanta, MexicoAudio, MAVO, One Voice Conference, and at many writers groups and workshops. A qualified coach since 2022, she works with narrators and authors, offering practical, insightful guidance that empowers them to push past self-limitations with actionable direction. Her creative coaching has been described as “helping others reach a point of clarity on who they are as creative professionals.”

Connect with Ana:

All of Ana's social media (LinkedIn, Instagram, FaceBook, Threads, etc.) are @AnaClements and her website is https://www.anaclements.co.uk 

Resources Mentioned:

MOOC - Massive Open Online Courses https://www.mooc.org/

Personality Isn’t Permanent by Benjamin Hardy 

The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander & Benjamin Zander 

"...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 achievements, including fostering a strong organisational culture, scaling operations sustainably and spearheading a digital transformation in community health. Liz reflects on the influence of her upbringing on her leadership style, her emphasis on a high-performing team and giving people recognition - all offering invaluable lessons on leadership and managing change. 

Liz Jarman was named CEO of Living Goods in 2018 and is a member of the Living Goods Board of Directors. Liz has 25 years of experience from various sectors, Liz joined Living Goods in 2014 as Director of Product Strategy and was promoted to Kenya Country Director in 2015 and at the end of 2017, she was promoted to Chief Strategy Officer. Born in Zambia, Liz spent a large portion of her career at Sainsbury’s, a $30 billion UK grocery business where she rose to lead Sainsbury’s Product Development and Fairtrade strategy and worked with thousands of global suppliers with a particular focus on African sustainable supply chains. 

Connect with Liz

On LinkedIn

Resources Mentioned

Living Goods

Squiggly Careers Podcast

"I think there should be some sort of law that before you leave compulsory education, you have to do a psychometric on your preferences and how you respond to pressure." Becca Brighty

Becca Brighty is an organisational psychologist and we talk about some approaches, behaviours and preferences that are common in the workplace. First we cover failure. Becca promotes a fail fast culture and has developed her own 'Fail for Good' model based on the Kaizen (change for good) model. And she shares some ways to reframe failure as an everyday part of life, by asking

(1) What can I learn from this, and

(2) What great things are in my life because things didn't go according to plan. 

We spend some time going in-depth into imposter syndrome, confidence, inner confidence and why on every leadership program confidence isn't the first thing that's discussed. We talk about workplace engagement and the responsibility leaders have towards employees being engaged and happy at work. Becca believes there's no real reason why people should be miserable at work and aligning an individual's preferences, values, strengths and things they don't enjoy with those of the organisation and the role is the way forward. And Becca shares what she is learning following a recent ADHD diagnosis. 

Becca Brighty is an organisational psychologist and business coach, passionate about making a real difference to people’s working lives and organisational productivity. At Brighty People she helps businesses and employees discover long-term workplace happiness and success. Her powerful blend of organisational psychology and human behaviour analysis helps businesses and their employees find their best workplace fit between employer and employee - matching the right people to the right culture and roles. She is also trained in various personality testing, including Harrison Assessments. Her experience includes working as an Occupational Psychologist for the NHS. She also co-founded a values-based recruitment app. And Becca has also managed her own struggles with anxiety and imposter syndrome and knows how it feels not to believe in your own ability and how to challenge and overcome this thinking.

Connect with Becca

Her website Brighty People

On LinkedIn

Resources Mentioned

People and Culture Forum

Amy C. Edmondson and Psychological Safety

Imposter Syndrome Resources

Episode 96, Feeling Different with Siun Prochazka 

"Basically you grow up feeling different or knowing you're different - it's not something that other people always pick up around you and it might come across as, 'oh, they're a bit slow' or 'they don't care' or 'they're a daydreamer' or, all of that. And those messages you pick up on them because you're wired to fit in." Siun Prochazka

Siun Prochazka talks to me about people who are neurodiverse with a particular focus on ADHD. Siun spent a large part of her career working with people with Autism and ADHD. And then at 35 she received an ADHD diagnosis. She talks about the impact of that her on personally and how it has shaped her professionally too. We spend time talking about how neurodiversity might show up in the workplace and Siun says: "All behaviour is communication" and we cover behaviours like perfectionism, masking, time blindness, impulsivity and more. Siun also explains the concept of rejection sensitivity dysphoria (RSD) - dysphoria means unbearable - and how with ADHD rejection and criticism, even perceived, can make you feel like your brain is being held hostage. We also talk about steps employers can take like having a strengths based approach and asking about behaviours, not making assumptions. Siun explains the different types of ADHD and how children might display these types and what it is like to grow up feeling different. 

Siun Prochazka founded Uniquely Wired Coaching and is an ADHD coach who works with adults and youths online, in person and in workplaces. She is passionate about supporting people with ADHD to become experts in their own unique wiring and learning to live life through their strengths. She spent much of her earlier career working with adults and young people with Autism, ADHD and other forms of neurodiversity in schools and in William Morris CampHill Communities. Following an ADHD diagnosis at 35 Siun retrained, first as a Life Coach and later, as an ADHD coach. 

Connect with Siun

Uniquely Wired Coaching website 

Uniquely Wired ADHDCoaching on Instagram

Resources Mentioned

Lisa Feldman Barrett

ADHD Ireland 

ADHD UK

CHADD USA

"a lot of the research ... was based around lessons learned. And one of the key things that came out of it is businesses, organisations, almost have a blueprint now. They've got something in place whereby if something did happen again, they would be prepared." Julian Roy

Julian Roy joined me to chat about research he undertook for his MBA thesis on the challenges faced by leaders during the pandemic. The common thread running through his research is empathy. Some leaders were forced into becoming more empathetic and had to learn how to do so. And as Julian says, the only way we become empathetic is by building trust and authentic relationships. We chatted about how middle and senior managers, in particular, just had to crack on, often forced to put on a brave face. We covered aspects of corporate culture, communication, connection and community. We talk about the benefit of hindsight, learning what matters most / what motivates people, office interactions and a hybrid work-life. He also found one thing that encompasses much of the research: if you look after your people, they will look after the numbers.  

Julian Roy is a Personal Development Consultant and Sales Trainer. He has recently completed an MBA at Salford. For his thesis his research focused on the challenges faced by sales leaders during the pandemic. Julian provides clients with tailor made training, guidance, mentoring and support and the necessary tools and support for them to broaden their perspective and open their minds, enabling goal achievement. Empowering others to realise their own self-worth and self-belief is a career driver for Julian.  

Connect with Julian

On LinkedIn

Resources Mentioned

Start with Why by Simon Sinek 

“Feelings aren't a beacon of eternal truth. They're a negotiation. They're always real because they are a perception inside of you, but it doesn't mean that they are accurate, useful, or true they're things that need to be negotiated. We can reframe them and construct them differently.” Steve Haines

Steve Haines takes us in-depth on the transformative power of learning to connect with our bodies with the use of some great metaphors. He explains that the biggest decision we're making in a moment is “Am I safe or not?”  Steve explains that everybody gets triggered but we can learn how to reframe our feelings - how to have a feeling rather than the become a feeling. Steve says that the biggest predictor to a happy and healthy life is movement and the good news is “the best exercise, is exercise you're going to do”. 

Steve Haines has been a bodyworker for over 20 years, runs regular clinics in London and Geneva and teaches all over the world. He is the author of the award winning ‘Anxiety Is Really Strange’, part of a series of graphic books that includes ‘Pain Is Really Strange’, ‘Trauma Is Really Strange’ and 'Touch is Really Strange". Understanding the science of pain and trauma has transformed his approach to healing. He has studied Yoga, Shiatsu, Craniosacral Therapy, and Trauma Releasing Exercises TRE®.

Connect with Steve: https://bodycollege.net/ +

https://www.facebook.com/bodycollege/ +

On Twitter and on Instagram

And have a listen to episode 47

"I grew up with a family myth about jet lag. We're Italian, my father's Italian 100 percent. And we would sit around the dinner table and just like chat and he would always tell the story of my foster brother, who the summer of 1971 was kidnapped and travelled non-stop Intercontinental for about four months. And then his grandmother suddenly died during the journey in a luxury hotel in Amsterdam." Emily Brown

Emily Brown had a love-hate relationship with her last job - she had a lot of purpose but was missing out on family life. So she quit. And began to write. She talks about her most recent work on the biography of jet-lag inspired by a family event in 1971 - her foster brother is related to the most fatal sufferer of jetlag, Sarah Krasnoff. This event has been widely reported and written about through the years but her brother's story had never been told. She is co-authoring this book with her Mom. And going beyond the looking at jet lag through the lens of flying only to draw parallels to how jet lag might be showing up in other parts of our lives. We talk about sleep, natural light and balance.

Emily Ross Brown has studied jetlag since 2015 and holds a Masters of Science in Hospitality Management. Brown was a 2000 Addy Award team recipient and has had her ideas featured by The Baltimore Sun. Brown was a feature writer for spinrecords.com (owned by Ice-T) and has been published in numerous Maryland publications. Brown began blogging about non-traditional career transitions in 2016. She is the author of two children’s books, a musical and the co-author of Biography of Jetlag, an historic nonfiction narrative. When not writing or caring for her family, Brown is a community organizer and leader, and a political advocate for education equity. 

Connect with Emily

Through her website 

TheJetLagProject on YouTube

Email her on emily@thejetlagprojectatgmail.com

Resources Mentioned

Lena Dunham

Jamie Lee Curtis

Little Bird by Camilla Way

Paul Virilio on Jetlag

Liz Diller 

Shawn Coyne The Story Grid Podcast

The Global Soul by Pico Iyer

Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars

"And the tension sometimes in the office was palpable. And to get things done you had to start to think about how to keep people on a common goal, despite some of the rivalry or politics that people brought with them to the office." Dougal Freeman

Dougal Freeman was working in Iraq during the second Gulf war and narrowly escaped the Canal Hotel bombing in 2003. Based in Jordan with Care Australia he talks about some of the realities of humanitarian work and about the kidnapping and subsequent murder of his boss. Dougal's experience is far from ordinary and he paints a vivid picture of his work-life in agri-businesses in Africa and in the commercial and not-for-profit sectors. He is so much more than the number's person and we talk about understanding people and getting people working toward a common goal, particularly when tensions are high. We also talk about impact, value addition and value destruction and how crucial it is that people in management and teams really care about what they do. 

Dougal Freeman is an accomplished CFO with more than two decades of global experience spanning the private sector, NGOs and not-for-profits. He has worked extensively across Africa and the Middle East for major international charities, food and agribusiness organisations, and then held Deputy CEO and Finance Director roles in public health consultancy and for a Nobel Prize-winning charity in the UK. He worked with Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) in Switzerland as CFO for six years. Currently he is the outgoing CFO and board member for Oxford Policy Management (OPM), an international development consultancy, where he leads finance strategy and operations, and plays an integral role in the broader growth and performance of the organisation.

Connect with Dougal:

On LinkedIn

Resources Mentioned:

Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Photographer Ami Vitale

Uhuru Flowers, Kenya

Hawala System

Canal Hotel Bombing, Iraq, 2003

Margaret Hussain kidnap and murder

Access to Nutrition Index ATNI

"We chose the term mental fitness because in our mind, it's positive because we think of it in connection with our physical fitness. And our hope is that one day we consider going to a psychotherapist in exactly the same way as we wouldn't think twice about going to a personal trainer." Kirsty Ritchie

Kirsty Ritchie and I chat about mental fitness. Kirsty says our ability to be the best person we can be requires autonomy and our own self power. We chat about how living our values is key in order to be who we are. And we chat about bringing back humanity and human conversations to the workplace and making sure that workplaces are psychologically safe places to be, allowing us to thrive. Kirsty goes through some of the signs of toxic workplaces and kindly shares her own experience of bullying and harassment at work where, she says, there was ignorance and tolerance of poor behaviours. And we talk about trust and Kirsty introduces a trust equation. 

Kirsty Ritchie FCCA MNCS Accred. started her working life as an office junior at Pringle of Scotland and after 10 years in manufacturing finance roles, she moved to Edinburgh and into financial services. Her last corporate position was in banking, where adapting to change had become a critical skill. She saw through the global crisis and witnessed the aftermath on people’s mental health and careers. After personally experiencing bullying and harrassment in the workplace, Kirsty had a strong desire to support people in crisis leading her to retrain as a psychotherapist. She now combines this with her corporate experience. Kirsty still tutors students and coaches Financial Services Apprenticeship Programme participants. She also supports the charity Place2Be, supporting primary school children in crisis.

Connect with Kirsty:

Mind and Mission website

On email kirsty@mindandmission.com

And on LinkedIn

Resources Mentioned:

Leaders in Lockdown by Atholl Duncan