The Culture Whisperer - a podcast for HR, Communications and Business Leaders everywhere! – Details, episodes & analysis

Welcome to the Culture Whisperer podcast shining a light on inspiring business leaders (at all levels of the organization) who I’ve met along the way who are ‘culture whisperers’, the bringers of hope!

What do I think of when I think of a Culture Whisperer?Someone that inspires hope in the people around them. This is how I believe hope shows up in the amazing leaders I’ll be interviewing on this podcast and why I believe hope matters.

I really hope you enjoy listening!

Note: The sound quality isn't quite what it should be on this one so best to listen in a way where you can adjust the volume up when Rebekah speaks! Forgive me - this was my first one!

In this engaging conversation, Dawn Smedley interviews Rebekah Cresswell, the first female CEO of the Priory Group. We talk about:

🫶 Hope in leadership and in mental health

🫶 How culture whispers can be negative and positive

🫶 Creating brave spaces and being courageous

🫶 The little things that can have the biggest impact on culture

🫶 The role of culture whispers in our wider society and the communities we serve

💃 And the song guaranteed to get Rebekah on the dancefloor!

And so much more!

In this uplifting conversation, Dawn Smedley interviews Inji Duducu, Group People Director at Poundstretcher. We talk about:

🫶 What it means to be a great place to work

🫶 How relentless communication is key to any transformation

🫶 Why listening and then responding to colleagues is key

🫶 How you can build a career on positivity, enthusiasm and curiosity!

🫶 How as a leader everything you do and say sends a message

🫶 Some sage words of wisdom on how to nip negative whispers in the bud

🫶 How bananas can help with culture change programmes!

💃 And of course the song guaranteed to get Inji on the dancefloor!

Enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed having the conversation!

In this ‘anything but ordinary’ conversation, Dawn Smedley interviews Ryan Cheyne exploring his experiences and reflections building people strategies at companies including Pets at Home, Rentalcars, Booking.com and Flutter!

We talk about:

🫶 Why listening intently and keeping things simple are so important when shaping culture

🫶 Why recognition and appreciation are not rocket science but rocket fuel 🚀

🫶 Why long service awards should be reframed as career celebrations and used much earlier on in a career to create moments of connection!

🫶 Creative ways Ryan has used employee voice to help shape values, create momentum and something truly meaningful for all involved

🫶 And Ryan’s fave song which I hadn’t heard for years but haven’t stopped listening to since!!

(and how he sang ‘Barryoke’ with Barry from Eastenders – oh yes!)

In this inspiring and very real conversation, Dawn Smedley interviews Sonia Squires, Head of Communications at Citizen Housing.

We talk about:

🫶 Sonia’s journey into Internal Communications and finding her calling

🫶 The strategic role Internal Comms plays

🫶 Sonia’s experiences growing up and some of the bias that she’s encountered on the way as a woman of colour and as a Mum

🫶 The importance of vulnerability, hope, listening and representation in leadership

🫶 The importance of building connections at all levels of the organisation to truly impact on culture

🫶 And Sonia’s fave song to get her dancing around the kitchen with her children!

The soundbites below speak of the power and inspiration you can hopefully find through this conversation:

"Leaders who inspire hope create a movement."

"Internal comms can change lives."

"Representation really matters."

"Listening is key."

"Hope shatters ceilings."

Episode 10 of the Culture Whisperer Podcast is out now and this is a powerhouse of a conversation with Advita Patel, owner and founder of CommsRebel, co-founder of A Leader Like Me, co-author of 'Building a Culture of Inclusivity' and currently the first South Asian woman to be President of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations ❤️

Here are 5 Culture Whispers you'll hear from Advita in our conversation and a snippet on hope below:

💥 1. Inclusion isn’t optional — it’s personal. “Say the words out loud: diversity, equity, inclusion.” Advita challenges all of us to keep showing up and doing the right thing. If your organisation pulls back from EDI — will you?

🌱 2. Hope is a leadership habit!Hope isn’t fluffy — it’s fundamental. In a world full of fear and fatigue, leaders have a duty to bring optimism, courage and clarity. “What’s the alternative to hope?” she asks. Silence? Compliance? Fear?

🧠 3. Build your personal board of directors.Mentors aren’t a nice-to-have — they’re a career lifeline. Advita’s board includes truth-tellers, nurturers, finance advisers and straight-talkers. Who’s guiding you when self-doubt kicks in?

💥 4. Confidence is a daily practice, not a personality trait.Forget the big leap — it’s the micro-actions that matter. Her new book 'De-coding Confidence' reveals the 7 habits of confident leaders, from energy to boldness and vulnerability.

☕ 5. “You can’t be everyone’s cup of tea… or you’ll be a mug.”If you know Advita, this is one of her most famous quotes! Sometimes speaking up is uncomfortable but when things feel wrong they probably are and we have to speak up!

💬 If you work in HR, EDI or Internal Comms or you're on a leadership journey yourself — this episode is a must. 💬

Advita’s honesty, warmth, and rebellious spirit will leave you thinking (and probably shouting “YES!” at your headphones). I got goosebumps so many times in our conversation 🫶

🎙️ Share far and wide to get these positive culture whispers out into the world!🎙️

🎙️ Episode 9 of The Culture Whisperer is out now! 🎙️

This week, I’m joined by the brilliant Pete Colby from Pragmatism (UK) Ltd — and we’re talking about the lost art of conversation at work! 🫖

Pete is hugely passionate about this with his background in HR, Operations Leadership and mediation. He challenges us to get to know the people we work with better and invest more time & energy upskilling leaders at all levels to have better, bolder conversations at work.

We talk about:

👂Active Listening — a skill we could all sharpen!

🤝 Trust and intent — themes that keep coming up across the whole podcast series!

🧠 The importance of psychological safety

🛠️ Upskilling managers to have better conversations

Whether you’re dodging tricky convos or keen to bring more heart into your leadership, there's lots of 'pragmatic' takeaways in here for the taking...

🎧 Pop the kettle on and have a listen! Enjoy! 🎧

Ever wondered what inspiring leadership looks like in the world of mental health services?

In this episode, I sit down with the incredible Kate Herod, Hospital Director at Priory Hospital Cheadle Royal. Kate was a recommendation from Rebekah Cresswell her CEO which I absolutely LOVE!

Kate brings wisdom, warmth, and a whole lot of heart as she shares her journey and experiences with us - from personal values to purpose-driven leadership!

✨ What’s inside: ✨

❤️ Stories of resilience and hope from patients

❤️ The power of small acts in transforming hospital culture

❤️ Why curiosity, data, and psychological safety matter in leadership

❤️ And how aligning who you are with where you work can change everything!

This is a must-listen for anyone passionate about people, culture, and creating spaces where others can truly thrive! I found the whole conversation truly inspiring, I hope you do too!

🎧 Tune in, be inspired, and keep those intentional, positive culture whispers whispering! 🎧

Episode 7 of the Culture Whisperer podcast is a special one for Employee Appreciation Day and International Women’s week with Vikki Gledhill, Senior Director, Total Rewards at Cox Automotive sharing her huge experiences buildingrecognition strategies at Manchester Airport Group and Cox Automotive.

There are so many ideas in here around how to do this, whereto start and how to build a recognition strategy with appreciation at it’s heart!

What you can expect!

🫶 Vikki’s experience building a brand around a Total Rewards Strategy to hang everything off and how this helps build familiarity and trust

🫶 The key ingredients needed to build a truly inclusive recognition strategy

🫶 The difference between appreciation and recognition and why this matters

🫶 Why it’s so important to be timely, specific and genuine when giving recognition

🫶 The role of inspiring women in our lives and how we should all be uplifting each other!

🫶 And of course Vikki’s fave song to get her dancing around the kitchen!

Enjoy, now go forth and appreciate!

In this episode, I absolutely loved my deep and meaningful conversation with one my favourite people, Gareth Whalley exploring his 20 year career journey working across some of the world’s largest brands including Coca Cola and Levi Strauss heading up DEI and other huge transformative HR Projects. Gareth is a true difference maker and is now Founder and CEO of Big Bang People Solutions.

We talk about:

🫶       Squiggly careers and how fulfilling it can be not knowing what you want to be when you grow up!

🫶       Gareth's proudest achievements including introducing new Growth Behaviours at Coca Cola, the legacy of the initiatives he’s worked on and seeing the impact of these years later!

🫶      The introduction of the WelcoME platform at Levi’s designed to provide support and assistance to individuals with disabilities – and how many pairs of Levi’s Gareth has!

🫶       We talk about culture and hope in the workplace and in life

🫶       We talk about the current trends in DEI on the global stage and the pullback by organisations and what this might mean

🫶       And it wouldn’t be the Culture Whisper podcast without asking what Gareth’s fave song is to get him dancing around the kitchen – warning contains a ‘bleeped out word’🤣

PS Do let me know if you’re enjoying the podcast by leaving a comment – it’s really hard to gauge if the content is landing well or not! Feedback is a gift and I will take any or all of it 😊