Most HR conversations are about doing more, fixing more, holding more - and then nothing ever changes. There are only so many conversations about HR's role in the future of work that we can tolerate, surely.
This isn’t one of them.
The HR Big Meet Podcast is where we amplify the voices of women in HR by telling the truth about what this work actually feels like so that once and for all we can realise none of us have this thing figured out, and we are not the problem.
In each episode, I speak to women who’ve made brave decisions in their careers by pushing back, doing things differently, and redefining how they interact with their work. Sometimes, I'll draw on experts from outside of the profession to share their wisdom in pursuit of helping you amplify your own voice within the context of so many of us feeling unheard and undervalued.
Expect conversations we don’t have enough of in HR:
The ones that remind you you’re not the only one. The ones that help you think differently. The ones that make you feel a little bit braver.
Creating sustainable impact doesn't come from doing more of the same year after year after year. It comes from backing yourself, knowing your worth, realising you are just as deserving of your love and attention as everyone else and being humans resourced.
And all of that is much easier when we can see other people who have walked that path.
I’m Emma Djemil, coach, speaker, walking bullshit button and creator of rebellious Humans Resourced - and this is the conversation you need to be part of.
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EP 18 - Carolyn Hobdey: Deprogramming TWAT Leadership
Season 2 · Episode 18
Thursday, October 22, 2026 • Duration 42:34
Can we fight for better workplaces for women while also supporting the men who need to help create them?
In this episode, Emma is joined by former HR Director, leadership expert, speaker and author of All the Twats I’ve Met Along the Way, Carolyn Hobdey, for a conversation that challenges some assumptions on both sides.
Carolyn argues that if we want to create meaningful change for women at work, we can’t simply shout at men from the other side, we need to bring them with us.
But where does that leave women who are already exhausted from making themselves palatable, managing other people’s reactions and trying not to be labelled difficult or emotional?
Emma and Carolyn explore women’s anger, why so many people still don’t feel safe speaking up, the difference between expressing your voice and influencing change, and the outdated leadership blueprint Carolyn calls the “TWAT Template”.
They also discuss why men may need their own version of deprogramming, what it takes to create workplaces where everyone can show up differently, and why supporting women and supporting men don’t have to be opposing causes.
Nuanced and deliberately not wrapped up in a neat little bow, this is a conversation about what changing the world of work might actually require from all of us.
If this episode resonated, firstly, welcome. You are very much amongst your people here.
You can connect with Emma on LinkedIn, where she spends a lot of time talking about confidence, leadership, visibility, self-trust and the realities of working in HR.
If you're at a point in your career where you're questioning things, feeling stuck, disconnected from yourself or wanting greater impact without sacrificing your entire nervous system in the process, Emma also works with women in HR through 1:1 coaching. Find out more about that here.
If you enjoyed this episode, do all the lovely podcast-y things: subscribe, leave a review, share it with your HR bestie, or stick it on LinkedIn so more women realise they're not the only ones feeling this stuff.
🎙️ Subscribe for more conversations about confidence, leadership, vulnerability and sustainable impact in HR.
EP 17 - Aime Rushton: You Don't Have to Have it all Figured Out
Season 17 · Episode 2
Thursday, October 15, 2026 • Duration 43:50
What happens when you finally get the job you thought would mean you’d made it…and realise it doesn’t actually feel like success?
In this episode, Emma is joined by Aime Rushton, who has over 20 years’ experience in HR and people development, helping organisations strengthen leadership, improve team effectiveness and create environments where people can do their best work.
Aime shares her own journey through HR from being labelled “disruptive” for asking the questions other people wanted to leave alone, to climbing towards a version of career success she eventually realised wasn’t really hers.
They talk about the pressure to keep progressing, why we minimise ourselves to protect what we’ve worked so hard to achieve, finding the people who help us think differently, and what it really means to back yourself even when that doesn’t involve blowing your entire life up.
Because changing direction doesn’t have to be a 24-hour makeover.
You’re allowed to take your time. You’re allowed to change your mind. And you’re allowed to redefine success as many times as you need to.
This is a conversation about playing the long game, trusting yourself and building a career around what matters to you now rather than what you thought you were supposed to want.
Oh, and obviously, the Shiny Knob makes a comeback.
If this episode resonated, firstly, welcome. You are very much amongst your people here.
You can connect with Emma on LinkedIn, where she spends a lot of time talking about confidence, leadership, visibility, self-trust and the realities of working in HR.
If you're at a point in your career where you're questioning things, feeling stuck, disconnected from yourself or wanting greater impact without sacrificing your entire nervous system in the process, Emma also works with women in HR through 1:1 coaching. Find out more about that.
EP 16 - Michelle Minnikin: Why Speaking Up Feels So Hard
Season 2 · Episode 16
Thursday, October 8, 2026 • Duration 37:57
Why do so many brilliant women know exactly what they want to say… and then decide they can’t possibly say it?
In this episode, Emma is joined by organisational psychologist, coach and author of Good Girl Deprogramming, Michelle Minnikin, for a brilliant conversation about the conditioning that teaches women to be nice, agreeable, useful, easy to work with - and definitely not difficult.
They explore why speaking up can feel genuinely unsafe, why women are so often encouraged to “fix” themselves rather than question the systems around them, and what anger, people-pleasing, perfectionism and our desperate need to be liked might actually be telling us.
Michelle and Emma also get into self-love as an act of rebellion, the fear of being judged, why we keep waiting for more evidence that we’re capable, and the question that brings the whole conversation home:
If you really loved yourself, how would you treat yourself?
Funny, provocative and occasionally rage-inducing, this is an episode for any woman who is ready to stop making herself the problem - and start becoming a little more unfuckwithable.
If this episode resonated, firstly, welcome. You are very much amongst your people here.
You can connect with Emma on LinkedIn, where she spends a lot of time talking about confidence, leadership, visibility, self-trust and the realities of working in HR.
If you're at a point in your career where you're questioning things, feeling stuck, disconnected from yourself or wanting greater impact without sacrificing your entire nervous system in the process, Emma also works with women in HR through 1:1 coaching. Find out more about that here.
If you enjoyed this episode, do all the lovely podcast-y things: subscribe, leave a review, share it with your HR bestie, or stick it on LinkedIn so more women realise they're not the only ones feeling this stuff.
Ep 15 - Amanda Henderson: Are You Safe...Or Just Salaried?
Season 2 · Episode 14
Thursday, October 1, 2026 • Duration 46:57
What if the career you think is keeping you safe isn’t actually that safe?
Amanda Henderson is the founder and Managing Director of Thread HR, a business providing fractional People Partners to founder-led businesses, and proudly run entirely by kick-ass working mums.
But Amanda never imagined herself running a business. In fact, she says she probably wouldn’t have walked away from the security of a salary to start one at all.
In this episode, we talk about the squiggly career that led her there, why we put so much weight on financial security when deciding what feels “safe”, and what becomes possible when you stop assuming there’s only one way to build a successful career.
We also get into confidence, networking without the ick, finding the thing that makes you different when everyone else seems to be doing the same thing, defining success on your own terms, and building work around your life rather than continually squeezing your life around your work.
Whether you’re thinking about self-employment, questioning what you want from your career, or simply wondering whether the version of “safe” you’ve been clinging to is still working for you, this one will give you plenty to think about.
If this episode resonated, firstly, welcome. You are very much amongst your people here.
You can connect with Emma on LinkedIn, where she spends a lot of time talking about confidence, leadership, visibility, self-trust and the realities of working in HR.
If you're at a point in your career where you're questioning things, feeling stuck, disconnected from yourself or wanting greater impact without sacrificing your entire nervous system in the process, Emma also works with women in HR through 1:1 coaching. Find out more about that here.
EP 14 - Fay Wallis: When Working Harder Stops Working
Season 2 · Episode 14
Thursday, September 24, 2026 • Duration 47:48
What happens when your answer to having too much to do is always...work harder?
Fay shares the deeply personal story of a time in her HR career when she became fixated on progressing, proving herself and reaching the next level while simultaneously juggling a Master’s degree, two young children and an ever-growing workload. When the warning signs started appearing, Fay did what so many of us do: pushed them down and kept going, until anxiety eventually forced her to stop.
Together, Emma and Fay talk about the pressure we put on ourselves to succeed, why our instinct is so often to absorb more and work harder, the complicated relationship between emotion and ‘professionalism’, and what can happen when we finally stop to question whether everything we’re carrying is actually sustainable.
They also explore the practical side of managing overwhelming workloads, the importance of making space to think and plan, and why self-compassion rather than relentlessly giving yourself a kicking, might be one of the most important tools you can develop in your career.
If you’ve ever thought, “I’ll just get through this deadline/project/week and then things will calm down”, this episode might feel VERY familiar.
If this episode resonated, firstly, welcome. You are very much amongst your people here.
EP 13 - Lisa Young: Ready Isn't A Feeling, It's a Decision
Season 2 · Episode 13
Thursday, September 17, 2026 • Duration 43:22
What if the thing holding you back isn’t that you need more experience, another qualification or even more confidence - you just need to decide you’re ready?
In this episode, Emma Djemil speaks with Lisa Young, founder of HRHQ, about what it really takes to stop hiding behind your expertise and start owning the impact you’re capable of making.
Lisa went from being too terrified to put her own face on LinkedIn to building an audience of nearly 80,000 people and creating the HR community she wished she’d had herself. And yet, despite all of that, she still sometimes wonders who the hell she is to be doing any of it.
We talk about imposter syndrome, people pleasing, visibility, boundaries and why so many brilliant HR professionals confuse being endlessly available and supportive with actually adding value.
Lisa also shares the brilliantly simple tool she uses when fear is getting in the way, why she believes in taking “messy action”, and the mindset that has helped her build something she once had absolutely no idea how to create.
Because confidence isn’t necessarily feeling ready before you do the scary thing. Sometimes you decide you’re ready – and then do it anyway.
If this episode resonated, firstly, welcome. You are very much amongst your people here.
You can connect with Emma on LinkedIn, where she spends a lot of time talking about confidence, leadership, visibility, self-trust and the realities of working in HR.
EP 12 - Louise Stevenson: Stop Waiting for Permission (How to Speak Up and Back Yourself at Work)
Season 2 · Episode 12
Thursday, September 10, 2026 • Duration 40:41
What happens when you know your stuff, you’ve done the preparation, you have something important to say…and then you get into the room and start second-guessing yourself?
In this episode of The HR Big Meet Podcast, Emma Djemil is joined by communications coach, keynote speaker and comedian Louise Stevenson to talk about finding your voice, backing yourself and communicating with confidence when it actually matters.
Louise is CEO of Speakeasy Coaching and has more than 25 years’ experience in stand-up comedy - including teaching Emma how to get on stage and attempt to make strangers laugh. So naturally, we explore what comedy can teach us about confidence, dealing with challenge and being OK with the fact that not everyone is going to like you.
We talk about:
Why so many capable women wait until they feel completely ready before speaking up
What actually makes someone persuasive
How to handle difficult questions without panicking or pretending you know everything
Why bringing your personality and humour into work doesn’t make you less credible. Quite the opposite.
We also get into the self-belief underneath all of this: how you stop relying on other people to validate your expertise and start recognising the evidence that you’re actually pretty bloody good at what you do.
If you’ve ever stayed quiet in a meeting, over-prepared because you were terrified of being challenged, or waited for permission to say what you already knew needed saying, this one’s for you.
Louise works with organisations, leadership teams and individuals through in-house workshops, group coaching programmes and through Speakeasy Coaching. She also runs public masterclasses, including Find Your Voice, throughout the year.
EP 11 - The Decision That Changes Everything
Season 1 · Episode 11
Thursday, July 23, 2026 • Duration 17:43
This isn't just the end of a podcast season. It's a reminder of what's possible when you stop waiting for confidence to arrive and start trusting yourself instead.
Across this first season of The HR Big Meet Podcast, you've heard women in HR share honest stories of burnout, redundancy, self-doubt, career change, finding their voice and redefining success on their own terms. In this season finale, Emma reflects on the common threads running through every conversation and the lessons we can all take from them.
If you've ever questioned your value, wondered whether it's too late to make a change, or felt like there must be more than simply surviving your career, this episode is for you.
Because lasting change doesn't happen overnight. It starts with one decision, one brave step, and the willingness to believe there's another way.
Now, let's make this mean something.
If this episode resonated, firstly, welcome. You are very much amongst your people here.
You can connect with Emma on LinkedIn, where she spends a lot of time talking about confidence, leadership, visibility, self-trust and the realities of working in HR.
If you're at a point in your career where you're questioning things, feeling stuck, disconnected from yourself or wanting greater impact without sacrificing your entire nervous system in the process, Emma also works with women in HR through 1:1 coaching. Find out more about that here, or come along to Emma's free webinar on 6 August 2026 12 - 1pm BST on how to fall in love with HR again (without changing your career). Register for that .
EP 10 - LaShawn Davis: Why Work Feels Like A Battle (and how to change it)
Season 1 · Episode 10
Thursday, July 9, 2026 • Duration 48:54
In this episode of The HR Big Meet Podcast, Emma Djemil is joined by LaShawn Davis for a conversation that proves the challenges facing women in HR don't stop at borders.
LaShawn is a faith and work strategist, founder of The HR Plug and creator of The UNPLUG Experience. With a background in labour relations and workplace strategy, she helps organisations transform their cultures while supporting individuals to reconnect with who they are, so they can stop striving and start leading from a place of alignment.
Together, Emma and LaShawn explore:
Why so many HR professionals feel like they're constantly fighting to prove their worth
What it means when work starts to feel like a battlefield
How our identity can become tangled up in our careers
The power of discovering your "organic brilliance"
Why burnout isn't inevitable when you're working in alignment with your strengths
Building confidence from self-awareness rather than external validation
Creating influence without compromising who you are
This is an energising, thought-provoking conversation about identity, purpose and remembering that your greatest contribution doesn't come from trying to be someone else. It comes from fully understanding who you already are.
Whether you're questioning your place in HR, feeling exhausted by constantly trying to prove yourself, or wondering how to create a career that feels more aligned, this episode will leave you thinking differently about success, influence and the value you already bring.
If this episode resonated, firstly, welcome. You are very much amongst your people here.
EP 09 - Laura Morton: When Your Head Says Stay and Your Body Says Go
Season 1 · Episode 9
Thursday, July 2, 2026 • Duration 24:52
In this episode of The HR Big Meet Podcast, which was recorded at our live event in May 2026, Emma Djemil sits down with Laura Morton to explore what happens when your life looks successful on paper, but something inside you knows that something needs to change.
Laura was a trusted and highly regarded Head of People, working in a role she loved, with people she respected and a business she believed in. Yet despite all of that, she found herself feeling increasingly disconnected from herself, her energy and what she wanted from life.
So she did something many people only ever dream about - she left. No job lined up. No guaranteed next step. No master plan. Just a decision to trust herself and create the space to figure out what came next.
Together, Emma and Laura explore:
What it feels like to leave a successful career without another job to go to
The relationship between identity and work
Why so many HR professionals ignore the signals telling them something isn't right
Intuition, self-trust and listening to your body
Burnout, energy and being "well resourced"
The pressure to keep going when you know you need a break
Why rest isn't failure
Creating a life that works for you, not just one that looks good on paper
This is an honest, thoughtful and deeply relatable conversation about courage, self-awareness and having the confidence to choose something different when your head is telling you one thing and your heart is telling you another.
Whether you're considering a career change, feeling stuck in a role you once loved, or simply wondering what it might look like to prioritise yourself for a change, this episode is a powerful reminder that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is pause and listen.
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If you enjoyed this episode, do all the lovely podcast-y things: subscribe, leave a review, share it with your HR bestie, or stick it on LinkedIn so more women realise they're not the only ones feeling this stuff.
🎙️ Subscribe for more conversations about confidence, leadership, vulnerability and sustainable impact in HR.
If you enjoyed this episode, do all the lovely podcast-y things: subscribe, leave a review, share it with your HR bestie, or stick it on LinkedIn so more women realise they're not the only ones feeling this stuff.
🎙️ Subscribe for more conversations about confidence, leadership, vulnerability and sustainable impact in HR.
You can connect with Emma on LinkedIn, where she spends a lot of time talking about confidence, leadership, visibility, self-trust and the realities of working in HR.
If you're at a point in your career where you're questioning things, feeling stuck, disconnected from yourself or wanting greater impact without sacrificing your entire nervous system in the process, Emma also works with women in HR through 1:1 coaching. Find out more about that here.
If you enjoyed this episode, do all the lovely podcast-y things: subscribe, leave a review, share it with your HR bestie, or stick it on LinkedIn so more women realise they're not the only ones feeling this stuff.
🎙️ Subscribe for more conversations about confidence, leadership, vulnerability and sustainable impact in HR.
If you're at a point in your career where you're questioning things, feeling stuck, disconnected from yourself or wanting greater impact without sacrificing your entire nervous system in the process, Emma also works with women in HR through 1:1 coaching. Find out more about that here.
If you enjoyed this episode, do all the lovely podcast-y things: subscribe, leave a review, share it with your HR bestie, or stick it on LinkedIn so more women realise they're not the only ones feeling this stuff.
🎙️ Subscribe for more conversations about confidence, leadership, vulnerability and sustainable impact in HR.
Her next masterclass on 25 September 2026 covers being heard, influencing senior stakeholders, communicating with confidence and getting buy-in - and if you message Louise over on LinkedIn and mention this podcast to sign up by 14th September 2026, she is offering you £25 off!
If this episode resonated, firstly, welcome. You are very much amongst your people here.
You can connect with Emma on LinkedIn, where she spends a lot of time talking about confidence, leadership, visibility, self-trust and the realities of working in HR.
If you're at a point in your career where you're questioning things, feeling stuck, disconnected from yourself or wanting greater impact without sacrificing your entire nervous system in the process, Emma also works with women in HR through 1:1 coaching. Find out more about that here.
If you enjoyed this episode, do all the lovely podcast-y things: subscribe, leave a review, share it with your HR bestie, or stick it on LinkedIn so more women realise they're not the only ones feeling this stuff.
🎙️ Subscribe for more conversations about confidence, leadership, vulnerability and sustainable impact in HR.
If you enjoyed this episode, do all the lovely podcast-y things: subscribe, leave a review, share it with your HR bestie, or stick it on LinkedIn so more women realise they're not the only ones feeling this stuff.
🎙️ Subscribe for more conversations about confidence, leadership, vulnerability and sustainable impact in HR.
You can connect with Emma on LinkedIn, where she spends a lot of time talking about confidence, leadership, visibility, self-trust and the realities of working in HR.
If you're at a point in your career where you're questioning things, feeling stuck, disconnected from yourself or wanting greater impact without sacrificing your entire nervous system in the process, Emma also works with women in HR through 1:1 coaching. Find out more about that here.
If you enjoyed this episode, do all the lovely podcast-y things: subscribe, leave a review, share it with your HR bestie, or stick it on LinkedIn so more women realise they're not the only ones feeling this stuff.
🎙️ Subscribe for more conversations about confidence, leadership, vulnerability and sustainable impact in HR.
If this episode resonated, firstly, welcome. You are very much amongst your people here.
You can connect with Emma on LinkedIn, where she spends a lot of time talking about confidence, leadership, visibility, self-trust and the realities of working in HR.
If you're at a point in your career where you're questioning things, feeling stuck, disconnected from yourself or wanting greater impact without sacrificing your entire nervous system in the process, Emma also works with women in HR through 1:1 coaching. Find out more about that here.
If you enjoyed this episode, do all the lovely podcast-y things: subscribe, leave a review, share it with your HR bestie, or stick it on LinkedIn so more women realise they're not the only ones feeling this stuff.
🎙️ Subscribe for more conversations about confidence, leadership, vulnerability and sustainable impact in HR.
