Podcast

In this episode, Vicky speaks to Sarah Hughes, chief executive of the Centre For Mental Health. Sarah talks about why we need to tackle the power dynamic in charities, how Scarlett O’Hara and Amazon boxes can help us contain our anxiety as leaders and the positives we can keep from this pandemic that will help us build a better workplace.

Vicky speaks to Raven Bowen, CEO of National Ugly Mugs. NUM is an organisation that provides support to sex workers who have been victims of crime. This is the first episode of the podcast recorded remotely, as we are all working from home in the middle of the Covid-19 crisis. From her bedroom, Raven talks about the challenges the pandemic poses to the community she serves, how she uses the lessons of agile working to keep the team laughing, and what she’s learnt as a chief exec about the dangers of friendly fire.

In the first episode of 2020, Vicky speaks to Aleema Shivji, executive director at Humanity & Inclusion. Aleema describes her career journey from physiotherapist to charity chief exec, shares her experience of navigating the shift from the operational to the strategic, and reveals how home-made banana bread holds the key to inclusion in the workplace.

In the last episode of 2019, Vicky speaks to three fantastic women: the founders of Girl Dreamer Kiran Kaur and Amna Akhtar, and the CEO of The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, Nicola Brentnall. They talk about how girls of colour are seen in our society, why disruptors make the best role models and how you can find leadership in all sorts of different circumstances – including longboarding in the streets of Birmingham.

In this episode, Vicky speaks to Tessy Ojo, chief executive at The Diana Award, a charity that builds on Princess Diana’s belief that young people can change the world. They talk about the hope the next generation of leaders offers, why it’s OK to drop a ball when we need to, and how Beyoncé gives the best leadership advice.

Vicky Browning speaks to John Rendel, founder of PEAS, a network of over 30 secondary schools in Uganda and Zambia which transforms lives by providing high-quality secondary education to children who would otherwise struggle to go to school. John has recently moved on to his new role of director of grants at The Peter Cundill Foundation. In this episode, they talk about delegating leadership and using power to empower others, why trusts and foundations should ditch restricted funding for good, and why we need to balance innovation with doing the boring things better.

Today is a first for the podcast, as Vicky Browning is speaking to two leaders: Sarah Welsh and Debs McCahon, joint CEOs at Woodcraft Folk, a charity that runs cooperatively with children, young people and adults working together to learn about the world and develop skills and confidence. They talk about why the organisation decided to have two chief execs, and what it takes to do it successfully.

In this episode, Vicky Browning chats to Girish Menon, CEO of Action Aid UK, the charity that works with and supports women and girls living in poverty. They talk about how you run an organisation on feminist principles, reflective leadership and self-doubt, and how as CEOs we all need to be torchbearers for change.

In this episode, Vicky Browning meets Ruth Taylor, CEO of the Abortion Support Network. ASN provides information and support for women from Northern Ireland, Malta and Gibraltar who need to travel abroad to access an abortion. They talk about the power of stories, the challenge of working with charity founders and how leaders need to work on the business, not in the business.

In this episode, Vicky travels to Glasgow to meet Duncan Dunlop, chief executive of Who Cares? Scotland, the charity that supports, connects and advocates for care experienced people. They talk about listening to the voices of people with lived experience, how to turn an organisation into a movement, and what happens when you host a love rally on the streets of Glasgow.