In the latest episode of The Lunch Break Coach podcast, Fran Moisa and I explore recruitment as it slips into its retorage phase: stuck between outdated practices and a future driven by AI.
Picture this - you're in an interview, the conversation is stiff, and the questions feel eerily familiar:
"Where do you see yourself in five years?" 🤔
"What's your biggest strength and weakness?" 🤔
"If you were a tree, what would you be?" 🤔
Whether AI suggested the questions 🤖 or they’ve been inherited from outdated processes 👵🏻...
... That's where many companies make their first (and biggest) mistake.
They stop 🛑 treating hiring as human - and start treating people as commodities. 🤷♂️
So here's your first 🥇 rule of hiring:
Be conscious of the questions you ask and why you're asking them.
In this episode, Fran and I talk about:
What are the biggest recruitment challenges and trends for 2025? 🫣
How can you keep the human element while using AI wisely? 🤖
What simple steps can make interviews more engaging and meaningful? 👣
Why does the overall candidate experience shape your future brand? ⭐️
#LunchBreak #Coach #Recruitment #Podcast #HR #TalentAcquisition
We keep hearing that leaders should be more vulnerable—but what happens when vulnerability gets mistaken for weakness?
In this episode of The Lunch Break Coach, team coach and founder Hari Haralambiev joins me to unpack the tension between real leadership and feeling safe. We explore why so many tech managers avoid vulnerability, how team coaching can unlock performance, and what it takes to build trust in a high-pressure environment.
Perfect for leaders navigating the messy, human side of team performance.
On the latest episode of The Lunch Break Coach podcast, Niklas Ziliacus and I discuss the hidden face of success: failure.
Did you know that behind every “one big win” are hundreds of small mistakes?
The key to overcoming them?
Think like an athlete.
Fall, get up, get better.
Learn, adapt, and build the mental resilience to come back stronger.
Political changes create ripple effects in business and leadership. How do shifting policies, new leaders, and global uncertainty impact the way we lead?
This episode breaks down the connection between politics and leadership, helping you stay steady, adapt, and make decisions with confidence—no matter the forecast.
Stay informed. Stay in control. Lead with clarity.
👩👧👦 Mum Guilt? We’ve all heard of it. But what about Dad Guilt? 👨👦👦
We talk a lot about the pressures mums face when juggling work and family, but are dads really free from guilt? 🤔
In this episode, I sit down with Laura Duggal to dive into the corporate world, parenthood, and guilt. 🎙️
Laura is an experienced coach who supports employees returning from family leave with tailored 1:1 coaching.
Leadership is often seen as setting visions and managing resources, but it’s so much more than that. In this episode of The Lunch Break Coach, Nichole Lowe joins me to uncover what it truly means to lead with faith and as a human-centric leader. Spoiler alert: it’s not an easy road—but it’s one of the most impactful journeys a leader can take.
True leadership goes beyond being a “boss.” It’s about stepping into the trenches with your team, experiencing what they experience, and building authentic connections. It’s about showing up with empathy, vulnerability, and a commitment to doing life together within a business structure. Great leadership is about leading with presence, grounded in faith, and showing up as a fellow human.
Together, Nichole and I explore the real purpose of coaching in leadership, how corporate cultures can thrive with a coaching mindset, and the trends shaping the future of coaching in 2025. Nichole also shares her powerful advice on cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset and how faith can serve as a guiding principle in leadership.
If you’re ready to rethink leadership and discover how to lead with heart and faith, tune in now!
More about Nichole and Zoee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nichole-lowe-zoee/
Are you going through a change or a transition? Think about it! 💭
We haven't done this in a while, but we’re back with another episode of "Coaching Unplugged" 🎙️, "The Lunch Break Coach" mini-podcast! 🎧
This time, Vicki Haddock and I are diving into traditions and transitions.
Now, back to my opening question... ❓ If you’re unsure about the difference between change and transition, don’t worry—you’re not alone! 🤷♂️ Most people mix them up.
Our job as coaches, the gaming industry and kindness, are some of the topics Kelly McSherry and I covered during this episode of the Lunch Break Coach podcast. 🎙🍽
In this episode, Kelly and I also discussed:
The rewards and joy of coaching. ✨
How the gaming industry could benefit and grow through coaching. 🎮
Why investing in your people matters. 💸
Self-care is a foundation for leading with kindness. 💌
🪡 What’s the common thread to keep every marriage, family, community, and team thriving?
Individuals must all share the same foundational values. 🤝🌱
In this episode, Christine Leclerc-Sherling, PhD, and I discussed team resilience and post-traumatic growth.
Can you distinguish between resilience and post-traumatic growth? 🤔
While post-traumatic growth is deeply personal and difficult to define, team resilience is something else entirely, as it's:
Intentional growth, as the event itself, doesn't change you. 💪
Secure, where you don’t slip into survival mode during minor setbacks. 🦸♂️
A reflection of how the team was before the challenge. 🪞
So, how can leaders tap into team resilience to maintain stability and keep things running smoothly?
Listen to the full episode to find out.
Christine is a seasoned Psychologist and Coach (PCC, ACTC ICF) with over 25 years of experience, bringing extensive expertise in organizational psychology, academia, and clinical practice. Her career includes more than 1,500 hours of counselling and coaching, with a focus on post-traumatic growth, stress management, workforce reintegration, and neurodiversity. In addition to her practice, Christine conducts research and training on high sensitivity, facilitates mental health coaching, and offers supervision to fellow professionals. With over 4,000 hours of executive coaching, she specialises in leadership development and work-life balance, driven by a genuine passion for helping individuals achieve both personal and professional growth.
To get in touch with Christine visit her website: https://christine-leclerc-sherling-phd.com/
In this episode, I’m joined by JP Xuereb, a seasoned HR professional working for a startup gaming company in Malta.
We explore what it takes to dive into the startup world.
We also tackle 4️⃣ key questions:
🏆 Do you wear busyness as a badge of honor? Yet, you are drowning in work. 🌊
Let me ask you this, how does it feel when you hear your significant other says,
🗣 "Kids, Daddy is busy with work. He has no time for this." ?
Where does this need for busyness come from?
In this episode, Vicki and I explore the not-so-recent phenomenon, a.k.a. the busyness bug. 🐝
The biggest misconception about busyness: it's not a feeling! ❌
My trick question for when someone answers "How are you?" with "Busy..." 🙋♂️
Strategies used to shift the corporate culture away from busyness. 🛣
What happens when we change our mindset on busyness? 🤯
Reclaim your effectiveness over the mad rush! Tune in for a human approach to busting the busyness myth. 💥
💭 What is the most common source of guilt for people at work? 😅
This time, Vicki and I discussed guilt at the workplace, using the following scenario.
Imagine how your career – up until this moment – has been built upon your contributions.
And now you've just been promoted to manage contributors, like yourself, or lead leaders.
This is where most people feel a sense of guilt. 🫣
🗣 "Am I doing enough for my team?"
🗣 "Do I even have value?"
This unsure self-talk ultimately starts a chain reaction that leads to bad decisions.
❌ Like zero delegation. ❌
Tune in to the 4️⃣th episode of "Coaching Unplugged" to find out:
How do you identify guilt? 🔍
The difference between legitimate and illegitimate guilt? ⚖️
Where does guilt come from? 🏁
What does it cost to carry guilt across your life? 💎
What if you've never written anything, outside of work or school? Yet, you want to start developing healthy habits in your day-to-day. Where should you start? 🤔✍🏻
This month, my good friend and colleague Kate Mintoff and I sat down on the "The Lunch Break Coach" podcast to discuss writing as one of the strongest instruments for self-reflection.
In this of "The Lunch Break Coach" podcast, Katie and I talk about:
Doubts and writing 😬
How writing can improve your overall health? 🍎
What happens when you start writing? 🏁
How does our relationship with the written word change over time? ✍🏻
Kate is a Gestalt psychotherapist and clinical supervisor, working in private practice to support clients in living rich and meaningful lives.
She has had a life-long relationship with writing, often turning to it in difficult moments in her own life, and has seen firsthand how healing it can be both personally and professionally.
When introducing writing in her practice, in line with the creative use of experimentation that Gestalt therapy encourages, she has found writing to be one of the methods that is accessible and appealing to many, with powerful results.
Kate created her writing community on Facebook Breathe & Thrive , which is the go-to place to find her!
The way we confine our mindset and our thoughts is the third topic Vicki and I discussed on "The Lunch Break Coach" podcast's miniseries: "Coaching Unplugged".
Every one of us has some form of imposed constraints upon our decisions and actions.
💭 "Should I hire this person, as he is the safe choice?"
💭 "Working for myself holds many risks, so I shouldn't do it."
💭 "I shouldn't trust my team, as my previous colleagues betrayed me."
🛑 Limiting beliefs stop our growth; right in its tracks.
So, where do they actually come from?
During our talk, Vicki and I also discussed:
🎙 Real-life scenario on how to spot limiting beliefs;
🎙 What do self-doubt and fear got to do with limiting beliefs?
🎙 Yes, the 8-hour work-day is a limiting belief!
🎙 How to let go of limiting beliefs.
To get in touch with Dragan book an explorational call here
To get in touch with Vicky look here
An AVG leader can name up to 5️⃣ emotions, on the spot... And, most of these emotions are unpleasant. 🤯
Emotional regulation is the topic Vicki and I dove into in "Coaching Unplugged"'s second mini-episode.
Let's start with a question for all leaders and teams.
Please, be honest!
🤨 When suppressing all your feelings, at work, are you regulating your emotions?
Tune in to learn how to surf the ocean of emotions! Riding the peaks and tides (or highs and lows) of your feelings and inner self. 🌊🏄♂️
To get in touch with Dragan book an explorational call here
To get in touch with Vicky look here
🤔 Are you a people-pleaser? Take the short self-assessment QUIZ below. 👇
Imagine you're travelling on an aeroplane and just about to take off. 🛫
What does the flight attendant instruct all passengers?
Is it to FIRST:
A) put on the other person's oxygen mask;
B) put on your own oxygen mask ❓
You may be surprised, but a lot of people would choose option A. 🤯
Vicki Haddock and I discussed WHY in the new miniseries, part of the "The Lunch Break Coach" podcast — "Coaches Unplugged". 🎙 🔌
In a quarter-hour, we uncharted people-pleasers. 🗺
During our talk, perceptions popped up.
As you may know, we experience life through our little window.
Or lens. Frame of reference. Whatever you want to call it.
We interpret life based on what we
Hear, 🙉
See, 🙈
Say, 🙊
Do, 🎭
Feel. 💙
No wonder, some messages may be distorted in our heads, based on our understanding.
And when facing the oxygen mask situation...
... we may remember to take care of others, first, instead of ourselves. 🤲
To get in touch with Dragan book an explorational call here
To get in touch with Vicky look here
In this episode of "The Lunch Break Coach" podcast, Vicki Haddock and I explored how inner saboteurs could affect all aspects of life.
The inner saboteurs are thinking patterns. You know, the ones we all get trapped in from time to time. 💭
Like wanting to achieve every task on your day-to-day list. ☑️
Or binging that final episode on Netflix instead of facing that one difficult task at work. 📺
Even when you try to be nice to everyone so that you don't come across as "the bad guy". 🦹♂️
Your inner saboteur was once a coping mechanism. When you didn't know how to handle life — or have any other skills.
Now, the inner saboteurs are forcing a sense of self-doubt and self-criticism.
They are holding you back to become the best version you can be.
🥊 So, how can you fight your inner saboteur? 🥊
Vicki Haddock, Author and Authentic Leadership coach, comes from 20 years in frontline leadership in the corporate world and over 2000 hours of leadership coaching.. She draws on her experiences in business, entrepreneurship, working in a male dominated industry, being a single parent and life to inspire others to lead in Authentic ways. Her coaching style goes right to the heart of issues and she loves those challenging conversations around balance, difficult conversations, confidence, transitions, and leading the way.
Learn more about Vicki and her work at www.vickihaddock.com
Grab your copy of Confidence Unchained here.
Why are men more reluctant to talk about their money problems? 🙊💰
Is it because...
... they don't want to seem vulnerable 🩹
... ego and old-school "traditionalist" gender roles ⚤
... or because of what society might think 🤔
In episode 5️⃣ of "The Lunch Break Coach" podcast, Luca Caruana and I discussed "Men, Money, and Mental Health". 👨💶🧠
Luca introduced me to "The Silent Sufferers". 🤫
Those successful professionals with good careers.
Or entrepreneurs with a thriving business.
High earners.
Living the luxury lifestyle.
Fast yachts. Luxury cars. Ibiza weekends. You name it. 🛥 🏎 ✈️
Yet, they end up in debt.
Why?
Luca Caruana founded the Money Coaching Hub, focusing on money coaching and financial wellbeing in Malta and Europe. He obtained his certification from the Money Coaching Institute in 2022, under the mentorship of Deborah Price, and holds a Master's Degree in Finance and Investment from the London School of Business and Finance.
Beyond his educational endeavours, Luca maintains an active presence in local media by contributing weekly articles and columns. His insights into financial matters have also led to appearances on TV programmes and podcasts. Local businesses have collaborated with Luca for tailored financial wellbeing programs, and he frequently participates in talks on Financial Literacy, Investing, and Money Awareness both within Malta and abroad.
In this episode, Jane Piper and I discuss:
✔ What happened to HR in the past three years?
✔ What is the future ahead for HR?
✔ How do you establish healthy boundaries between work and private life?
🔗 This and so much more.
Jane Piper is an Organisational Psychologist and bestselling author of Focus in the Age of Distraction – a book looking at the impact of digital technology on our wellbeing and ways of working. She is interested in the intersection of humans and technology.
She helps experts and leaders in knowledge-intensive industries to improve productivity and well-being in a digital age.
After two decades in corporate HR roles, she now shares her expertise through coaching, workshops, consulting and speaking. Jane is from New Zealand and has lived last 18 years in Switzerland bringing a unique combination of Swiss efficiency and Kiwi creativity to reimagine work and careers.
For more info check out LinkedIn or her website.
🎙 In the latest episode of “The Lunch Break Coach” podcast, Reny Mihaylova and I delved into how to drive team inspiration. 🚀
📈 Aren't the upward and downward spikes in your team's motivation, at times, frustrating? 📉
How can you, as a leader, ensure everyone stays equally productive and inspired, all the time?
Sometimes, the seemingly hardest dilemmas require simple solutions.
