Flora Letanka is Executive Director for Network Development at Teach First, the largest educational charity in the UK. She is  in charge of mobilising high-impact networks of Teach First alumni, schools and others, to ensure that every child gets an outstanding education.She is also a mum to three young children.Here she speaks to Verena Hefti, Leaders Plus CEO and Founder, about being an Exec Director whilst having young children.She discusses:- How to remain visible whilst on maternity leave and keep progressing your career- Working with your maternity cover to ensure the best outcomes- What is needed for an Exec Director role- Failures and challenges she has experienced- Parental guilt

Leaders With Babies

Flora Letanka - Being an Exec Director whilst having young children

 Dr. Michael Baran is a social scientist and Senior Partner at inQUEST Consulting. He draws on his own research in cultural anthropology and cognitive psychology to inform his current diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work–his speaking engagements, writings, consulting, leadership development, workshop facilitation, and digital products. In addition to his inQUEST work, Dr. Baran has taught courses at Harvard University and the University of Michigan. He has directed projects aimed at reducing racial disparities in education, health, housing, and criminal justice at the FrameWorks Institute and the American Institutes of Research. He is also the coauthor of the recently launched book Subtle Acts of Exclusion: How to Understand, Identify, and Stop Microaggressions, cited in Forbes as one of the “11 Books To Read If You Want To Be A More Inclusive Leader.” Here he talks to Leaders Plus CEO and Founder, Verena Hefti, about tackling subtle acts of exclusion. We discuss:- What are subtle acts of exclusion, otherwise known as micro aggressions- How to have productive conversations about subtle acts of exclusion to ensure you feel heard- Practical tips to being more inclusive

Michael Baran, Ph.D. - Tackling Subtle Acts of Exclusion

Katie is one of the UK’s leading Performance Psychologists, working behind the scenes and on the big stage with some of the world’s best athletes, leaders and organisations. Here she speaks to Verena Hefti, Leaders Plus CEO and Founder, about how to achieve exceptional performance in challenging circumstances. Katie and Verena discuss the impact of guilt, how lack of sleep affects performance, negative self talk and redefining success. Katie also offers her top tips for success.

Katie Warringer- Exceptional Performance in Challenging Circumstances

In this episode Verena Hefti, CEO and Founder of Leaders Plus, talks to three Leaders Plus Fellows about their honest reflections on career and ambitions, including failures and setting boundaries.  They cover how to manage your own wellbeing whilst holding down a job and having children. They also discuss the value of the Leaders Plus Fellowship and how it has benefited them.

Fellowship Live Podcast- Honest Reflections on Career Ambitions and Insight into the Fellowship

Reverend Carla Maurer, from The Swiss Church London, discusses developing purpose, how to set boundaries and offers top tips for prioritising yourself. 

Reverend Carla Maurer - Finding Purpose and Setting Boundaries

Verena Hefti, CEO and Founder of Leaders Plus, gives a preview for the new series of the award-winning Leaders With Babies Podcast.Our next podcast is an interview with Reverend Carla Maurer, Minister of The Swiss Church in London, in which we talk about purpose and setting boundaries. Coming up later this season we speak to an Executive Director in the largest education charity in the UK about how she moved to that job when she had children under two. We also speak to Carole Robin Ph.D,  author of the book Connect, which focuses on building exceptional relationships with family, friends and colleagues. Carole was the Dorothy J. King Lecturer in Leadership at Stanford University&apos;s Graduate School of Business, and we talk to her about about how to create deep meaningful relationships at work and beyond. 

New Series Preview

Welcome back to Series 5 of the Leaders With Babies Podcast.In this episode Verena Hefti, Founder and CEO of Leaders Plus, discusses her experience of being on maternity leave with her third child, whilst running a social enterprise. Verena is interviewed by Kirstie Brewer, a journalist at the BBC and a Leaders Plus Fellow.Kirstie asks some interesting questions about maternity leave and how you can make it a productive time and plan your return to work. We discuss:The challenges of maternity leave and how to manage it whilst having older childrenWays in which you can prioritise your own wellbeingHow you can communicate with your partner before and during maternity leave, to ensure it runs as smoothly as possibleHow to plan your return to work and how maternity leave can make you a better leaderVerena&apos;s number one tip for transitioning from maternity leave back into workFollow Verena on Twitter at @vhefti and Leaders Plus @leaders_plus.

Verena Hefti - Getting the Most Out of Maternity Leave

Are you interested in becoming a Non-Executive Director (NED)? Do you know what the role involves and where to find the best opportunities? On this week’s Leaders With Babies podcast Verena chats to Non-Executive Director and Leaders Plus Fellow Lucy Walker about why you should consider becoming an NED, diversity on boards, plus Lucy&apos;s journey combining two young kids with a board career.Lucy shares her tips including:Why it can help to be a Trustee firstPractical things Lucy did to make her applications stand outHow to structure your CV specifically for a NED roleWhere to look for the best quality roles 2 things anyone keen to become an NED can do today in just 10 minutes Connect with Lucy on LinkedIn here or visit her company’s website www.aminsights.com.Useful Resources Mentioned by LucyWomen on Boards: www.womenonboards.netNurole: www.nurole.com Dynamic Boards: www.dynamicboards.co.uk First Flight Non-Executive Directors: www.firstflightnonexec.com 

Lucy Walker - How to Become a Non-Executive Director (NED) & Diversity on Boards

To celebrate International Women&apos;s Day #IWD2021 we have a special podcast takeover episode from our inspirational Leaders Plus Fellows. BBC journalist and Leaders Plus Fellow Kirstie Brewer interviews BBC Three and BBC News Assistant Editor Kim Rowell about taking maternity leave, returning to work, and "things I&apos;d tell my pregnant self".They discuss why kindness - or more importantly fairness - underpins Kim&apos;s leadership style. How she has successfully navigated redundancy and why all the best things have happened in Kim&apos;s career since giving birth to her daughter. Follow Kim on Twitter @KimRowellTVFollow Kirstie on Twitter @KirstieJBrewerWith special thanks to the following Leaders Plus Fellows for producing this episode:Kirstie Brewer, Journalist at BBC News Melanie Sethi, Senior Internal Communications Manager, BTVictoria Moore, Transformation Lead, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Dr Katie Badcock, Health Policy and Improvement Fellow, The Shelford Group This episode was recorded during the COVID-19 Lockdown.Listen now in iTunes | Listen now on Spotify

SPECIAL EPISODE #IWD2021: Kim Rowell - Returning to Work & Things I'd Tell My Pregnant Self

What if people were truly at the center of organisations? How might a flexible working request work differently if processes didn&apos;t hold us back? Our guest today is Michele Zanini, the co-author of the bestselling book Humanocracy, which sets out a passionate, data-driven argument for excising bureaucracy and replacing it with something better. Michele is passionate about building organisations that are fit for the future.  He shares with us the simple steps we can each take to make our workplaces less bureaucratic and more human-centered.Follow Michele on Twitter @MicheleZaniniBuy a copy of Humanocracy on Amazon here.Find out more about Michele&apos;s work, including his course &apos;Hack My Org&apos; which is free with the purchase of the book at www.humanocracy.com. This episode was recorded during the COVID-19 Lockdown.Listen now in iTunes | Listen now on Spotify

Michele Zanini - Making the Workplace More Human-Centred

We are so excited to share this episode of Leaders With Babies with you as our guest this week is the extremely inspiring Michelle Mitchell OBE.Michelle became Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK in 2018, the world’s leading charitable funder of  Cancer research. She&apos;s also a mum to two pre-teen children.  Michelle has been a real trail blazer for parents who are in high level senior leadership roles. Throughout her own career she has always done things a little differently to help balance work and family, and she&apos;s always been a big supporter of working flexibly. During our discussion we cover:Sleep deprivation and how hard this can be in the early stages of motherhoodWhy you shouldn’t compare yourself to anyone elseWhy Michelle is such a big supporter of working flexibly in senior roles Why having purpose in all you do is so important What Cancer Research UK are doing to support employees with work and home life balanceWhy we need more role models from diverse backgrounds in senior leadership rolesWe hope you&apos;ll find our conversation thought provoking, especially if you’re considering your own career development and the practicalities of managing a really high powered job whilst also wanting to be present with your children.You can follow Michelle on Twitter @Michelle_CRUK and Leaders Plus at @Leaders_Plus Find out more about the brilliant work of Cancer Research UK at www.cancerresearchuk.org This episode was recorded during the COVID-19 Lockdown.Listen now in iTunes | Listen now on Spotify

Michelle Mitchell OBE - Being a Charity CEO While Raising a Family

Our guest today is the record breaking ultra runner, small animal vet, research scientist and mother of two Jasmin Paris. Jasmin completely changed expectations of what is possible for new mums when she won the gruelling 268-mile Montane Spine race shortly after welcoming her first child. An incredible achievement, especially as she was stopping at the race break points to express milk for her young daughter along the way. During our chat Jasmin shares with us:How running makes her happy and why she should never have to apologise for thatHow having children has helped her focus more and has contributed to her success as a runnerThe reality of training for competitive racing alongside working as a vet and bringing up her childrenWhy following your passion is so importantJasmin is an incredible role model for many parents and a perfect example of how you can combine ambitious goals with having children.We hope you enjoy our conversation.You can follow Jasmin on Twitter  @JasminKParisRead her brilliant blog here: http://jasminfellrunner.blogspot.com 

Jasmin Paris - Can You Perform Exceptionally Well When You Have a Baby? Breaking Records Whilst Being a Mother

Are you thinking about applying for a new senior leadership or director level role? Listen to this episode of Leaders With Babies first! Our guest today is Lee Higgins, who is part of the senior leadership team at the recruitment firm Falcon Brook Search and who has decades of experience working as a headhunter for senior leadership roles.Lee is particularly passionate about diversity and inclusion and he heads up their AVID Leaders programme, which works with AVID (Authentic, Vulnerable, Inclusive and Diverse) leaders to change the way organisations approach diversity and inclusion.In this episode he shares with us:When and how you should raise the question about working flexibly when going for a senior leadership roleHow to successfully diversify your own network and why this is so importantHow to demonstrate your commitment when returning to work after having a baby Why we must confront the elephants in the room and challenge assumptions like you may be less committed to your work because of your childcare commitmentsWhy you need to bring your whole self to workThe 10-minute tips for utilising LinkedIn and your own networks that can really help with your own job searchIf you&apos;d like to get in touch with Lee then you can connect with Lee on LinkedIn here. Follow Leaders Plus on Twitter @leaders_plus #LeadersWithBabies Find out more about Leaders Plus, including details of our award-winning Fellowship Programme here. Please remember to rate, review, and subscribe and share with any friends, family, or colleagues who may benefit.This episode was recorded during the COVID-19 Lockdown.Listen now in iTunes | Listen now on Spotify

Lee Higgins - Everything You Need to Know Before Applying for a Senior Leadership Role & The Importance of Diverse Recruitment

Exactly how do you progress your career whilst working in a part-time role? What do the most successful working parents do to ensure they are strategic about their career progression?Leaders With Babies is back with series 4 and our guest this week is the author, psychologist, coach, and founder of Talent Keep Specialists, Jessica Chivers. Jessica is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to progressing your career after maternity or parental leave and she has written a fantastic book about supporting mothers at work. We talk about the practical steps you can take to progress your career, especially if you&apos;re in a part-time role.  Why working part-time doesn’t mean you&apos;re part ambitious or part committed. Jessica shares what her most successful coaching clients have done differently, plus the helpful tips that you can apply to your own career (even if time is limited) so your work set up really works for you.Plus, why Wednesday, not Friday, might just be the best day of the week to take off work for anyone working part-time and why Calendly is a fantastic tool for scheduling quick conversations. Useful Links From This EpisodeConnect with Leaders Plus on social media @leaders_plusConnect with Jessica on Twitter @jesschivers The book mentioned by Jessica is &apos;Busy&apos; by Tony CrabbePlease remember to rate, review, and subscribe and share with any friends, family, or colleagues who may benefit.This episode was recorded during the COVID-19 Lockdown.

Jessica Chivers - Career Progression in Part-time Roles

Something a little different for the final episode of Season 3 as the tables have turned and I have found myself answering the questions instead of asking them!Kirstie Brewer, a journalist at the BBC and a Leaders Plus Fellow, interviews me, Verena Hefti, the host of this podcast and the founder of Leaders Plus. I share my personal story of combining a senior leadership career with young children and why I set up the award-winning social enterprise Leaders Plus. Kirstie asks fantastic questions and it was really interesting for me to be able to reflect on the journey so far.We discuss:The reality of starting a social enterprise while bringing up two babiesWhy I didn't push out my ambition along with my baby What it's like to leave a stable job to become a pregnant entrepreneurImposter syndrome and how I deal with itSetting priorities and ensuring the long term goals remain in sightHaving a third baby and why this will enable me to step back and think more strategically Follow Verena on Twitter at @vhefti and Leaders Plus @leaders_plus.This is the final episode in this season but Leaders With Babies will be back again in the New Year with some fantastic new guests.  In the meantime, if you've enjoyed listening, please do rate and review us on iTunes and tell 5 of your friends about the podcast, it really helps more people to find us. This episode was recorded during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Verena Hefti - Starting an Award-Winning Social Enterprise Whilst Bringing Up Babies & Dealing With Imposter Syndrome

Too often, ambitious men and women feel they must choose between pursuing a leadership career they love and enjoying their young family. It doesn't have to be this way. Leaders with Babies is a brand-new podcast from Leaders Plus, an award-winning social enterprise dedicated to supporting parents of young children who are ambitious about their career whilst caring deeply about being a good parent. Join CEO and Founder Verena Hefti as she interviews inspiring leaders from all walks of life who have successfully combined a leadership career with raising a young family. Her guests candidly share the challenges they have overcome and the practical solutions that have helped make their vision for their career and family life a reality. #LeadersWithBabies

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Leaders With Babies

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