This week we welcome Lea Henry, co-founder of the award-winning creative childcare agency CocoRio. Together with her business partner Corinna Bordoli, Lea co-founded CocoRio because she worried about the quality of childcare available. As she couldn’t keep her kids with her 24/7, she wanted to ensure their overall development and emotional well-being would be catered for. Lea shares practical advice on how she manages the competing demands of a baby, a toddler and a growing business. A common...

How can women thrive in a traditionally male-dominated work environment? Today we welcome to the podcast Polly Ogden Duffy, Managing Director at prime sales and lettings agency John D Wood & Co. London. Polly, who is married with two children, is passionate that women CAN have it all and shares why she believes being ambitious as a working mother is no bad thing. Having worked her whole career in a traditionally male-dominated environment, Polly shares the advice she would give other...

Today on the podcast, Verena Hefti MBE chats with Dr Ana Catalano Weeks, Senior Lecturer at the University of Bath Dr. Ana shares her experience of how mental load can be gendered and emphasises that creating awareness is a part of the solution. In this conversation, we delve into the dynamics of heterosexual couples and the evolving landscape of childcare responsibilities. Despite men's increasing involvement in practical child-rearing tasks over the decades, women still bear the brunt of...

Today on the podcast, Verena Hefti MBE chats with Jane Green, Leaders Plus Mentor and Former EY Partner. Jane's approach to balancing work and parenthood in an era where flexible-working was rare, can well be considered as a reforming move in the UK workplace. From pioneering a flexible work model in the 1990s at EY to now mentoring on the Leaders Plus Fellowship, Jane helps working parents to explore a working pattern that best suits their career ambitions and family life. From her...

Today on the podcast Verena Hefti MBE chats with Heather Taylor, Director of Finance and Resources for Trust for London and Trustee and Treasurer at charity Pregnant Then Screwed. Heather is an Alumni of the Leaders Plus Fellowship (having completed the very first cohort of the programme) and advocates for flexible and reduced working days to increase productivity in the workplace. As a mother to two under-6, Heather shares her journey of transitioning into a 4-day work model which helped her...

In this episode, Verena Hefti MBE chats with Sam Butters, Co-CEO of charity the Fair Education Alliance, a coalition of 250 organisations tackling educational inequality.  Verena and Sam discuss the multiple benefits of having Co-CEO’s and why this isn’t necessarily the same as a traditional job share.  Sam, who is a big advocate of work-life fluidity, describes how being a Co-CEO aligns perfectly when you’re a working parent, likening it to a long-term partnership akin to a marriage, with...

What is the secret to other people talking positively about you at work? Today on the podcast Verena Hefti MBE chats with Rachel Allison, founder of the PR agency Axe + Saw. Rachel is someone who regularly advocates for Diversity, Inclusion and Equity in her work and she is passionate about running a progressive, purpose-driven agency. As a mother to a 6-month-old daughter, Rachel shares her freshest thinking on running an agency whilst raising a young family, including why a 4-day working...

How can women unblock the obstacles in their path and open the door to opportunities to reach more senior leadership levels? Today on the podcast, Verena Hefti MBE chats with Ellen Taaffe, author of a thought-provoking new book entitled, 'The Mirrored Door: Break Through the Hidden Barrier That Locks Successful Women in Place'. For many women, at some point in their career, they may encounter the 'mirrored door.' The place where, when presented with opportunities, they reflect inward and...

Our guest today is Daniel Astarita, Managing Director of Kesslers, London. Daniel is a proud IVF Dad and shares his experience of balancing a demanding career whilst going through IVF treatment. As a Managing Director, Daniel has practical advice on what he has learned from combining a leadership career with young children. Daniel is also passionate about leading an inclusive manufacturing business and shares his experience of positively changing workplace culture. Enjoy the...

As part of #MentoringMonth Verena Hefti MBE speaks to Leaders Plus Fellowship Mentor Sonia Sudhakar about improving confidence and resilience as a senior leader and how to get to a Director level role. Sonia is the MD of Marketing and Digital at The Royal Mail Group and lives in London with her partner and son. She shares the advice she gives to all her Mentee's and how having her son has changed her approach to work. We hope you enjoy the conversation. Applications are now open for the...

This week Verena Hefti MBE is joined by Natasha Porter OBE, the CEO and Founder of the charity Unlocked Graduates, who recruit, train and challenge outstanding individuals to lead prisoner rehabilitation. Natasha has two young children and gave birth to her eldest child just as Unlocked Graduates launched. On the podcast, Natasha shares the reality of being a CEO, setting up an organisation and giving birth just after launch. Natasha firmly believes that being a CEO is one of the best jobs to...

Big Careers Small Children helps ambitious parents progress careers they love whilst being present with their children. Through honest and informal conversation, senior leaders divulge what they have learnt on their own journey of combining big careers with young children to our host Verena Hefti MBE.Expect lots of aha moments, inspiration, fresh ideas, and practical support, so you can move forward in your career in a way that works for you and your family. This podcast is hosted by our...

“Our organisations have mostly been built by men, for men, with men’s lifestyle patterns in mind.” Gender bias is a powerful force that holds women back in the workplace and prevents them from achieving their full potential. This week on the podcast Verena Hefti MBE chats to Dr. Amy Diehl and Dr. Leanne Dzubinski, authors of a revealing new book which outlines the six barriers still holding women back at work and why this is an organisational rather than an individual problem. On the podcast,...

This week Verena Hefti MBE chats with Jessica Calarco, a Sociologist and Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, about women's role as a social safety net and what needs to change. Jessica is a leading expert on inequalities in family life and education and is the author of the forthcoming book Holding It Together - How Women Became America's Safety Net. Show Notes: Visit Jessica's website: www.jessicacalarco.comPre-order Jessica's book Holding It Together - How Women...

Our host Verena Hefti MBE is taking a short break from podcast recording this Christmas week. Instead, we revisit one of our most popular episodes featuring Dr Martha Deiros Collado, a clinical psychologist specialising in family therapy and host of the brilliant podcast Talking Sense with Dr Martha. Leaders Plus Fellows tell us time and time again that they struggle with worrying about their children when they are at work and thinking about work when they are with the children. So how can...

This week Verena Hefti MBE chats with Brian Ballantyne, author of the book "Confessions of a Working Father" and co-founder of Men for Inclusion. They discuss the challenges Brian has faced as a working father in a senior role, expectations of masculinity and whether training can really help change behaviour. Plus Brian shares three practical ways anyone can be an ally and advocate for working parents. Show Notes: Connect with Brian on LinkedInFind out more about Confessions of a Working...

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...