CONVERSATION WITH JAMES DONALDSON (Ex-Army personal leadership specialist)

Jim Donaldson spent 26 years in the British Army as a Welfare Specialist and trainer. In the latter stage of this career, he worked with many soldiers who had experienced life-changing injuries and recognised that true leadership “begins within”. Having left the Army, Jim now runs his own training business (Auctus) where he focuses on helping individuals develop personal acceptance, and take permission and responsibility to grow as leaders. In this interview, Jim and Lesley discuss the lessons he learned from his military career and explore the concept of “self leadership”.

CONVERSATION WITH ROGER MASTERSON (The Castle Man)

Roger Masterson has built a thriving business (Celtic Castles) through passion, belief and collaboration. In this interview he explains how he has developed and led his team to the point that he can step back from the day-to-day operation of the business, while establishing his personal brand as The Castle Man. Download – listen – learn – practical tips for real leaders!

CONVERSATION WITH Dr. ISLA FISHBURN (Holistic Animal Behaviourist)

Dr. Isla Fishburn is a holistic canine behaviourist who has worked with wolves, wolf hybrids and domestic dogs. She is an expert in Conservation Biology and, through her business (Kachina Canine Communication) is committed to helping humans understand how dogs communicate with us through their behaviour. So, if you have ever wondered what is going on in a dog’s head – what they are thinking – why they are behaving the way they do – now is your chance to find out. I genuinely believe there is so much we can learn from our four legged friends so grab a coffee, invest 30 minutes in your development as a leader, listen and learn!

CONVERSATION WITH TONY WILSON (CEO - Lifestyle Architecture)

Tony Wilson works with leaders across the globe to help them design and achieve the lifestyle they deserve and desire.  The core of this work revolves around practical leadership and focuses on developing the holistic leader, team and organisation. In this interview, Tony explains how leaders need to “unzip their coat of vulnerability” and learn how to get to a quiet place from where they can explore a world of creativity and infinite possibility.

CONVERSATION WITH SYD NIVEN (Managing Director - Northern Growth Academy)

Syd Niven is passionate about developing leaders and believes that building leadership capacity is crucial for any organisation to survive. So how do you do this? In this conversation, Syd talks to Lesley about his experience of working with leaders and the importance of developing relationships and handling conflict. It’s not about titles, positions or qualifications but is about stepping outside your comfort zone, accepting that there is always something new to learn and releasing your potential.

CONVERSATION WITH KAREN ASEMPER (Actress, Author, The Dream Alchemist)

Karen Asemper is an accomplished actress, having appeared in episodes of Coronation Street, Casualty and Cold Feet. She is an inspirational speaker and author of 'Life is a Game so Play it'. In this conversation with Lesley, she explains how she learned to take responsibility for leading her own life and turned her dreams into reality through cultivating her own self worth, self esteem and a positive mental attitude.

CONVERSATION WITH MIKE LEVER (British Sales Trainer of the Year, 2015)

Mike Lever has an impressive pedigree working with sales leaders to help them understand the psychology of consumer behaviour and what it means for their performance and business turnover. In this conversation with Lesley, he shares some fascinating insights on the differences between leadership and management, training and development, and talks about his journey from selling fishing tackle to being recognised as the British Sales Trainer of the Year, as well as debating the question … are leaders trained or developed?

CONVERSATION WITH STEVEN HOUGHTON-BURNETT (The Formula Guy)

Steven Houghton-Burnett is a disruptor! He believes that the most effective leaders are resilient enough to challenge the status quo by asking one simple question … “why not?” Also known as The Formula Guy, he has a unique way of visually capturing the secret formulae that individual leaders use to create successful and productive lives. Steven discusses some of his secret formulae with Lesley and explains why he encourages leaders to be conscious disruptors in their organisations to take action and capitalise on opportunities that others would miss.

CONVERSATION WITH Dr. SUSAN LAING (DEAN OF TEESSIDE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL)

The business landscape is changing and one thing we can be certain is that what worked in the past won’t necessarily work next time. Leaders need to develop more entrepreneurial skills to be able to navigate the global crossroads and learn to make choices and decisions in different ways. Entrepreneurial leaders now have a critical role to play in large organisations if they are to develop sustainability and survive in the competitive global market of the 21st century. Lesley talks to Dr. Susan Laing about her experience of leading and developing new programmes in entrepreneurial learning. Susan explains some of the cutting edge thinking in entrepreneurial leadership and outlines how these skills can apply to leaders in everyday situations and all walks of life.

CONVERSATION WITH NEVIL TYNEMOUTH (Author of Sales Success on LinkedIn)

Leaders need to be able to communicate effectively and should be congruent in their communication across different media and platforms, including social media. Lesley talks to sales trainer and coach, Nevil Tynemouth, about his experience of being part of the team that launched two of the UK’s biggest household products – Dyson and Blackberry – and about being at the leading edge of such innovation in the marketplace. Now the founding director of a thriving sales training business, and author of Sales Success on LinkedIn, Nevil shares his insights into what makes a great leader, especially when it comes to communication.

CONVERSATION WITH KIM SIMPSON (Post Blast Explosives Expert)

Kim Simpson is one of the world’s leading experts in explosive devices. In this conversation with Lesley, she shares her story and explains her journey as a leader. Listen to Kim’s fascinating insights ranging from her involvement in the investigation of the London 7/7 bombings and tours in Afghanistan to her current role working as a tactical advisor to Abu Dhabi Police. There are some key lessons for leaders in any discipline – download, listen, learn.

CONVERSATION WITH DR. SIMON RAYBOULD (The Presentation Genius)

How often have you sat through a presentation and wondered what it was all about? How often have you been the person giving the presentation! Leaders need to be able to structure and deliver effective, compelling and inspiring presentations, whether to an audience of one or one thousand, but too often they fall short. Dr Simon Raybould is author of Presentation Genius – a compilation and synthesis of cutting edge research into the science of presenting. In this conversation with Lesley, Simon shares his insights and gives clear practical tips to help leaders understand the step-by-step approach needed to deliver an effective presentation.

CONVERSATION WITH MIKE SMITH (Director, 3L Life Long Learning)

Learning to embrace change and develop resilience in the face of personal and professional adversity is a key skills for any leader. Lesley talks to Mike Smith about his experience of working with Management Research Group to support senior leaders in Europe, UAE and the Middle East as they promote and lead cultural change in some of the world’s largest organisations.