Today Verena Hefti MBE is joined by Charlotte Hill OBE, the CEO of The Felix Project, a London charity fighting hunger and food waste. Charlotte is a mother to two young children and is passionate that it's absolutely possible to work in a senior position and raise children. On the podcast, she shares why it's incredibly worth it and how she practically makes it work, including how she sets boundaries when going to things like late-night networking events. Charlotte is also extremely open...

What's holding parents' career progression back and how can employers retain and support them? In summer 2023, the Big Parent Career Choices Survey was completed by nearly 900 working parents. It found that 86% of parents want to progress their careers in the next five years, with 51% wanting to progress in the next two years. It also found what is holding them back... On this week's podcast Verena Hefti MBE and Social Researcher Rosie McLeod discuss the survey findings from the brand...

This week Janet Daby MP (Member of Parliament for Lewisham East) joins Verena Hefti MBE to discuss how she combines a big career with young children.  Janet, who is a mother of 2, shares how she balances frequent evening commitments as an MP with being a present parent and what she has learned about dealing with feelings of guilt. There are lots of practical tips for anyone balancing a senior career whilst raising a family. We hope you enjoy the conversation. Show Notes: Visit Janet's...

What is the root cause of the gender pay gap? What can we do as both individuals and employers to help close it? Following Equal Pay Day 2023 (the day in the year when - based on the gender pay gap - women overall in the UK stop being paid compared to men), Verena Hefti MBE is joined by financial wellbeing and pay gap analytics expert Melissa Blissett from UK Consultancy Barnett Waddingham to discuss the gender pay gap. The most recent Office of National Statistics Gender Pay Gap in the UK:...

 “If we’re going to talk a good game about equality at work that also means men taking on childcare responsibilities.” Ahead of International Men's Day (19/11) Paul Morgan-Bentley, Head of Investigations at The Times and author of the brilliant book The Equal Parent joins Verena Hefti MBE. Paul is an advocate for men properly sharing responsibility for caring for their children. He shares what he and his husband Robin have gained from parenting their son Solly equally and how this has...

Our host Verena Hefti MBE is taking a short break from podcast recording this week. Instead, we revisit one of our most popular episodes featuring former The Times Senior Editor Mary Ann Sieghart. Mary Ann is the author of a really intriguing book, The Authority Gap, which analyses why women are taken less seriously than men and what we can do about it. The discussion includes: Why men and women can say the exact same thing yet it’s perceived differentlyA look at the latest evidence and...

Can you work in the top positions and still be there for school pick up? Today Verena Hefti MBE is joined by Matthew Hayes, the Vice President & Managing Director of Technology From Sage. Matthew is a father to two young daughters and is combining a big career with raising small children. In the episode, he shares how he balances life in a very senior role (alongside working on a start-up) and is present with his daughters, including working flexibly and being there for school...

Applications to the Leaders Plus Fellowship close on 29 October. Download Application Pack. How do you know when you're ready to become a CEO? In this episode we are joined by Laura Citron, CEO of London & Partners, London's business growth and destination agency. Laura was appointed Chief Executive Officer whilst pregnant and shares why the CEO role is actually perfect for working parents. Wondering if you're ready to become a CEO? Laura shares her advice for anyone considering an...

Applications to the Leaders Plus Fellowship close on 29 October 2023. Download Application Pack. Does Society Think That Men and Women are Equally Suitable to Lead? Today we are joined by Michelle Harrison, Global CEO of Kantar Public. Launched in 2018, The Reykjavik Index for Leadership measures and tracks progress in society’s perceptions of women and men’s suitability to lead across the G7 nations, as well as Australia, Iceland, Indonesia, Poland, Singapore, Spain and Thailand.  After five...

Applications to the Leaders Plus Fellowship close on 29 October 2023. Download Application Pack. “Give yourself the permission to be brave” Today we welcome Consultant Dr Jasmin Islam to the podcast. Jasmin balances two big roles alongside raising small children and splits her working hours between Kings College Hospital NHS & Clinical Public Health, United Kingdom Health Security Agency in London. Having recently returned from her second maternity leave, Jasmin joins Verena to discuss...

Applications to the Leaders Plus Fellowship close on 29 October. Download Application Pack. “Have kind conversations with yourself - we are often our own harshest critics when we should be our own best supporter.” We interview the brilliant Kate Smith (Executive Director, Consulting - CBRE UK) about what she has learned from dealing with her own assumptions about herself and where she stands on whether you should adapt at work to emulate the stereotypical male leaders. The discussion...

At Big Careers, Small Children we are driving change for ambitious working parents. This #MondayMotivation bonus snippet from a previous episode shares a practical action you can implement this week to help you combine a big career with small children successfully. Advice today from Author and Researcher Alex Pang who shares practical suggestions on how you could begin implementing a 4 day working week. If you'd like to listen to Alex's conversation in full then head back to episode 32 of...

Applications to the Leaders Plus Fellowship close on 29 October. Download Application Pack. “I can honestly say I’ve been more successful on 4 days a week than 5 days a week.” It's a pleasure to welcome back Dominic Holmes to the podcast. Dominic is a Partner at the law firm Mischon De Reya and has successfully resized his client facing role from 5 days a week to 4 days. He shares: How he successfully reduced his workloadWhy delegating is crucialHow to set firm boundaries with your time Why...

At Big Careers, Small Children we are driving change for ambitious working parents. This #MondayMotivation bonus snippet from a previous episode shares a practical action you can implement this week to help you combine a big career with small children successfully. Advice today from Dr Jennifer Petriglieri (Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD) who shares how to work with your partner (if you have one) to increase both your chances of career success. If you'd like to...

“You will have transferable skills - it’s just a question of identifying what they are.” Today we welcome back Independent Non-Executive Director Helen Gillett to the podcast. Helen shares: What a Non-Executive Director role involvesHow to get a Non-Executive Director positionWhat being on a board actually meansHow you can successfully work your networkHow you can combine a Non-Executive Director role when you're a parent of young children We hope you enjoy the conversation. Show...

At Big Careers, Small Children we are driving change for ambitious working parents. This #MondayMotivation bonus snippet from a previous episode shares a practical action you can implement this week to help you combine a big career with small children successfully. Advice today from Vanessa Bohns (Professor of Organisational Behavior, Cornell University) who shares how you can get to 'yes' in negotiations and why you have more influence than you might think. A very useful skill when you're...

“With job sharing the company gets two people - two ideas, two heads, two brains.” Ours guests today Lydia Leipert and Rebecca Zöller job share a senior role at a Bavarian broadcaster and have even been nicknamed “Lydecca” by their colleagues. As they put it themselves - "between us we have 4 children, are 2 women and share 1 job". Lydia and Rebecca share the story of how they found each other, why job sharing can work so fantastically and how you can convince your employer to support you in...

At Big Careers, Small Children we are driving change for ambitious working parents. This #MondayMotivation bonus snippet from a previous episode shares a practical action you can implement this week to help you progress your career in a way that works for your family. Advice from Anita Kerwin-Nye (Executive Director - YHA England & Wales) who shares the top three things she tells her own Mentees who are progressing their careers whilst raising young children. If you'd like to listen to...

“Some of those lightbulb moments have actually come from engaging with people that come from totally different backgrounds, or totally different industries or have totally different perspectives.” Today we welcome global finance leader Drake Peabody to Big Careers, Small Children. Drake is an alumnus of the Leaders Plus Fellowship and Director of Group FP&A at IHS Towers, one of the largest independent owners, operators and developers of shared telecommunications infrastructure in the...

Ever find yourself drowning in a sea of endless responsibilities? Are you tired of feeling overwhelmed and in need of some practical solutions? Perhaps you need to address the microstress in your life. Microstresses are the small moments of stress that have insidiously infiltrated both our work and personal lives with invisible but devastating effects. These seemingly harmless everyday occurrences can zap our energy levels and impact our performance. Our guest today is Karen Dillon, an...

Over the summer host Verena Hefti MBE is taking a short break from podcast recording and instead, we'll be sharing some of her personal favourite episodes. This week we are revisiting the 2020 episode recorded with Dr Jennifer Petriglieri, an expert on how dual career couples can thrive in relationships both at home and at work. Jennifer shares the concrete steps you can take today to strengthen the positive impact of your relationship on your career.  Plus there’s a breakdown of the 3 types...

Over the summer host Verena Hefti MBE is taking a short break from podcast recording and instead, we'll be sharing some of her personal favourite episodes. This week we revisit the episode with author and business leader Fiona McDonnell. Fiona's debut book Two Mirrors and a Cheetah offers inspiration and practical advice on finding career fulfilment. Including how you can challenge assumptions and choices that hold you back. Listen to the episode to learn how to: Identify your purpose and...

Over the summer host Verena Hefti MBE is taking a short break from podcast recording and instead, we'll be sharing some of her personal favourite episodes. This week we revisit the 2019 episode with former National Childbirth Trust (NCT) CEO, Nick Wilkie. Nick talks candidly about stepping away from his Chief Executive position at the NCT to be a full-time parent, allowing his partner to return a full-time leadership position and how he will ensure that headhunters still remember him when he...

Over the summer host, Verena Hefti MBE is taking a short break from podcast recording and instead, we'll be sharing some of her personal favourite episodes. This week we invite you to revisit the episode with Leaders Plus Fellow Lucy Walker who talks through how she became a Non-Executive Director and how you can become one too. Connect with Lucy on LinkedIn here. Useful Resources Mentioned by Lucy Women on Boards: www.womenonboards.netNurole: www.nurole.com Dynamic...

Over the summer host, Verena Hefti MBE is taking a short break from interviewing to spend time with her family. We'll be revisiting some of the most popular episodes of the Big Careers, Small Children podcast for you to enjoy. This week we invite you to re-visit the 2020 episode with Anna Whitehouse (also known as Mother Pukka) who talks about setting up her flex appeal campaign and why she has pioneered change in flexible working. The wonderful news is since recording the podcast with Anna...